/        0^i^e,f 


A  Christian  But  A  Roman 


"55p  tfce 


DEBTS  OF  HONOR, 
THK  POOR  PLUTOCRATS, 
A  HUNGARIAN  NABOB, 
THE  NAMELESS  CASTLE, 
ETC.,  ETC. 


A  Christian 
But  A  Roman 


By 
Maurus  Jokai 


Doubleday  &  McClure  Co. 
New  York  1 900 


Copyright,  1900,  by 

DOUBLEDAY   &   MCCLURB   COMPANY 


A  Christian  But  A  Roman 


2013246 


A  CHRISTIAN  BUT  A  ROMAN. 


CHAPTER   I. 

IN  the  days  of  the  Caesars  the  country 
surrounding  Eome  vied  in  splendour  and 
luxury  with  the  capital  itself.  Through- 
out the  whole  region  appeared  the  villas 
of  Roman  patricians,  abodes  of  aristo- 
cratic comfort,  where  every  artist,  from 
the  sculptor  to  the — cook,  had  done  his 
utmost  to  render  them  attractive  and 
beautiful. 

These  noble  patricians,  many  of  whom 
had  incomes  of  eight  or  nine  millions, 
often  found  themselves  in  the  unpleasant 
position  of  being  obliged  to  avoid  Rome. 
Weariness,  wounded  vanity,  insurrections 
of  the  people  and  the  praetorians,  but  es- 


A  Christian  but  a   Roman. 

pecially  distrust  of  the  Caesar,  compelled 
them  to  turn  their  backs  upon  the  im- 
perial city  and  retire  to  their  country 
estates. 

Thus,  for  several  years,  Mesembrius 
Vio,  the  oldest  Senator — who  since  the 
death  of  Probus  had  not  set  foot  in  Rome 
nor  given  the  Senate  a  glimpse  of  him — 
had  resided  on  his  estate  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Tiber.  True,  he  said  it  was  on  ac- 
count of  the  gout  and  the  cataracts  from 
which  his  feet  and  his  eyes  suffered ;  and 
his  visitors  always  found  him  sitting  in 
his  curule  chair,  with  his  ivory  crutch 
in  his  hand  and  a  broad  green  shade  over 
his  eyes. 

The  old  man  had  two  daughters.  One, 
Glyceria,  had  married  when  very  young, 
thanks  to  the  imperial  favour,  a  great  lord 
who  had  become  a  libertine;  soon  after 
the  libertine  lost  his  head,  and  his  prop- 
erty, as  well  as  the  imperial  favour,  went 
to  the  beautiful  widow,  who  in  a  short 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

time  had  the  reputation  of  being  the 
Aspasia  of  the  Eoman  capital.  Of  course, 
Mesembrius  was  not  only  blind,  but  deaf, 
when  Glyceria  was  mentioned  in  his 
presence ;  he  himself  never  permitted  her 
name  to  cross  his  lips.  His  second 
daughter  was  Sophronia,  who  was  always 
by  the  old  man's  side  at  his  country  es- 
tate. A  beautiful  and  virtuous  maiden, 
she  seemed  to  unite  the  charms  of  three 
Greek  goddesses:  the  graceful  form  of 
Venus,  the  noble  beauty  of  Juno's  coun- 
tenance, and  the  purity  of  Psyche. 

Yet  Sophronia  owed  no  special  grati- 
tude to  heathen  goddesses;  on  the  sea- 
shore nearby  lived  the  wise  Eusebius, 
the  descendant  of  the  apostle,  and  the 
beautiful  girl  had  long  attended  the  se- 
cret meetings  where  the  holy  man  an- 
nounced to  the  followers  of  Christ  the 
doctrine  of  the  one  God  who  dwells  in 
the  soul. 

Old  Mesembrius  knew  that  his  favour- 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

ite  daughter  was  secretly  a  proselyte  of 
the  new  faith,  and  he  did  not  oppose  it; 
nay,  he  did  not  even  let  his  daughter  per- 
ceive that  he  had  any  idea  of  it. 

Young  sons  of  patrician  families  often 
came  from  Rome,  lured  by  the  fame  of 
the  maiden's  beauty,  and  all  cherishing 
the  hope  of  obtaining  her  hand  and  with 
it  her  millions.  Mesembrius  received 
them  very  kindly,  arranged  great  ban- 
quets in  their  honour,  and  brought  out 
wine  a  century  old.  The  youths  were 
soon  intoxicated  by  the  liquid  fire,  and 
after  the  last  libation  each  one  showed 
himself  in  his  true  colours  and  poured 
forth  the  most  secret  thoughts  in  his 
heart. 

Old  Mesembrius  listened  and  reflected. 
One  unmasked  himself  as  a  profligate; 
another  was  free  from  such  tastes,  but 
developed  great  talent  for  being  slave  and 
despot  in  the  same  person ;  and  even  if  an 
omnibus  numeris  salutus  was  found,  he 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

showed,  when  the  last  subject — his  opin- 
ion of  Christianity — was  introduced,  like 
all  the  rest,  that  it  was  his  conviction 
that  the  Christian  religion  was  nothing 
more  than  a  sect  which  denied  the  gods 
and,  by  withdrawing  from  the  popular 
pleasures,  games,  and  combats  in  the 
arena,  embittered  every  joy  by  their  ob- 
durate melancholy  and  in  their  stead 
celebrated  horrible  rites  in  gloomy  cav- 
erns, compelled  their  followers  to  pierce 
with  their  knives  the  heart  of  an  infant 
rolled  in  flour,  and  to  drink  its  blood; 
till  the  gods,  in  their  wrath,  visited 
the  earth  with  floods,  pestilences,  earth- 
quakes, and  barbarians,  and  that  conse- 
quently there  could  not  be  enough  of 
these  people  boiled  in  oil,  burned  in  pitch, 
torn  by  wild  beasts,  and  buried  alive  to 
avert  from  the  land  the  severe  punish- 
ments sent  by  the  wrathful  gods. 

Mesembrius   had    heard   enough,  and 
gave  his  daughter  to  none  of  these  youths. 
5 


A   Christian  but  a  Roman 

He  honoured  the  martyrs,  but  did  not  wish 
to  find  Sophronia's  name  among  them. 

Not  one  of  the  rejected  suitors  saw  her 
face. 

One  day  a  sun-burned  youth  entered 
Mesembrius's  dwelling.  The  old  man, 
who  sat  in  the  trichinum  of  his  summer- 
house,  saw  him,  and,  in  spite  of  the  cat- 
aracts on  his  eyes,  shouted : 

"Are  you  coming  to  see  me,  Manlius 
Sinister?  Come,  come,  here  I  am." 

The  old  man  could  still  see  when  he 
chose. 

The  youth  hastened  up  to  him,  em- 
braced him,  and  pressed  his  hand. 

"  How  manly  you  have  grown !  "  said 
Mesembrius,  smiling ;  and,  as  if  his  eyes 
were  not  enough,  he  felt  with  his  hands 
the  youth's  face,  arms,  and  shoulders. 
"You  have  become  a  man  indeed  since 
you  marched  away  with  Probus.  So 
you've  come  to  ask  me  for  my  daughter's 
hand?" 

6 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

Manlius  seemed  disconcerted  by  this 
straightforward  question. 

"I  am  not  so  selfish,  Mesembrius. 
Our  ancient  friendship  brought  me  to 
your  house." 

"I  know,  I  know.  We  are  aware  of 
the  kind  of  friendship  which  exists  be- 
tween an  old  man  and  a  young  one,  espe- 
cially when  the  old  man  has  a  beautiful 
daughter.  For  my  daughter  is  very  beau- 
tiful, Manlius,  very  beautiful!  If  you 
could  see  her !  Don't  say  that  you  saw 
her  four  years  ago — what  was  that?  You 
were  then  a  child,  and  so  was  she;  what 
did  you  know  about  it?  But  now!  0 
Manlius !  it  would  be  a  great  mistake  of 
yours  if  you  did  not  fall  in  love  with 
her." 

"What  use  would  it  be,  old  friend? 
You  have  refused  so  many  suitors  who 
were  better,  richer,  and  more  powerful 
than  I  that  I  do  not  even  venture  to 
hope." 

7 


A   Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"Why,  Manlius?  Cannot  you,  too, 
gain  power  and  wealth?  Is  not  your 
uncle,  worthy  Quaterquartus,  the  most 
famous  augur  in  Rome,  whose  prophecies 
always  prove  true,  who  holds  in  his 
hands  the  future  of  the  Caesar  and  the 
state?" 

"That  is  all  true." 

"Then  you  see  you  may  yet  become 
a  great  man.  You  need  only  seek  the 
favour  of  Carinus  a  little,  and  win  your 
uncle's  good  will.  Surely  it  is  easy  ?  " 

"At  least  it  is  not  difficult." 

"  See !  See  I  Who  knows  how  far  you 
may  go?  What  will  it  cost  Carinus  to 
have  a  rich  old  Senator  drowned,  and  give 
you  his  palaces  and  treasures?  Then 
you,  too,  will  own  mansions  and  slaves, 
will  bathe  in  rose-water  and  eat  pea- 
cock's tongues.  What  bars  your  way? 
You  can  gain  all  these  things  by  cring- 
ing. Cringing,  I  say." 

Manlius  let  the  old  man  talk  on. 
8 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"  But  stay  with  me  as  long  as  you  feel 
inclined,  and  be  of  good  cheer." 

In  the  evening  a  magnificent  banquet 
was  served  in  honour  of  Manlius ;  every- 
thing that  could  please  the  palate,  eye, 
and  heart  appeared. 

The  young  man's  face  glowed  with  the 
fire  of  old  Falemian  wine,  and  he  often 
struck  the  table  with  his  clenched  fist,  en- 
tirely forgetting  the  respect  due  to  his  host. 

Mesembrius  saw  that  the  soul  of  his 
guest  was  beginning  to  open  and,  prop- 
ping his  cheek  upon  his  hand,  he  com- 
menced the  examination. 

"  Well,  Manlius,  how  do  you  like  the 
Falernian?  Am  I  not  right  in  saying 
that  Italy  is  the  bosom  of  the  earth,  for 
here  are  the  breasts — namely,  the  moun- 
tains which  produce  this  wine?  " 

"  Yet  I  have  quaffed  a  more  inspiring 
drink  in  my  life-time." 

"A  more  inspiring  drink,  Manlius? 
At  whose  table  ?  " 

9 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"From  the  Euphrates." 

"What  do  you  mean? * 

"  It  was  after  the  battle  of  Ctesiphon. 
We  had  fought  all  day  long,  my  arms 
were  dripping  with  blood  and  my  brow 
with  sweat.  In  the  evening  the  Persian 
army  was  scattered,  and  on  that  one  day 
the  Euphrates  overflowed  its  banks." 

"And  you  drank  from  it? " 

"  Yes.  That  water  has  an  intoxicat- 
ing effect." 

"Fame  intoxicated  you,  Manlius.  It 
was  in  that  water." 

"I  don't  know  what  was  in  it;  for 
when  I  raised  my  helmet,  which  I  had 
filled  with  it,  to  my  lips,  I  did  not  set 
it  down  until  the  last  drop  was  drained." 

"And  then  other  good  things  awaited 
you?  You  could  indulge  yourselves  to 
your  heart's  content  in  conquered  Ctesi- 
phon. I  can  imagine  how  well  you  fared 
with  the  beautiful  dark-eyed  women 
whose  husbands  were  obliged  to  abandon 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

them,  and  the  palaces  and  storehouses 
of  which  you  took  possession.  Every 
soldier  was  swimming  in  milk  and 
honey." 

"  Well,  we  didn't  do  much  of  that  sort 
of  swimming,  for  we  marched  farther 
that  very  night;  and  as  for  the  dark-eyed 
wives,  all  the  leaders  had  issued  strict 
orders  that  the  captured  women  should 
not  be  insulted  by  the  soldiers." 

"  Well,  well,  such  orders  are  not  usu- 
ally taken  too  strictly.  We  know  that." 

"By  Hercules!  Then  you  know  very 
little  about  it!"  exclaimed  Manlius  fu- 
riously. "  We  took  it  so  strictly  that  I 
had  one  of  the  soldiers  in  my  legion,  who 
abducted  a  maiden,  bound  by  the  feet  to 
two  trees  which  had  been  bent  down  and 
tore  him  asunder  when  they  sprang  back 
again." 

"  Well,  you  won't  tear  me  asunder  on 
that  account,"  laughed  old  Mesembrius, 
delighted  with  the  noble  indignation  dis- 
ii 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

played  by  his  guest.  He  beckoned  as  he 
spoke  to  a  Numidian  slave  who  stood 
near,  holding  a  richly  engraved  silver 
basin:  "Come,  Eamon,  fill  my  guest's 
goblet. " 

"  No,"  cried  Manlius ;  "  I  can  fill  it  my- 
self. I  need  not  be  served  like  Carinus, 
who  is  too  indolent  to  hold  his  goblet 
when  he  drinks,  and  is  afraid  of  wearying 
himself  if  he  lifts  a  fig  from  the  dish  to 
his  lips  with  his  own  hands." 

"  Ho !  ho !  Manlius  Sinister !  You  are 
slandering  the  Caesar !  " 

"  ^castor!  It  is  no  slander.  Is  it  not 
well  known  that  his  feet  never  touch  the 
earth,  and  that,  even  in  his  bathroom,  he 
uses  a  wheel-chair  ?  To-day  he  had  a  ring 
on  his  finger  and,  complaining  that  he 
could  not  endure  the  burden  of  its  weight, 
ordered  it  to  be  drawn  off.  Recently  he 
had  a  notorious  forger  of  documents,  who 
understands  how  to  imitate  other  people's 
writing  marvellously  well,  released  from 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

prison,  and  appointed  him  his  private 
secretary,  to  be  spared  the  trouble  of  in- 
scribing his  signature  with  his  own  hand. 
Now  this  cheat  provides  every  document 
with  the  Caesar's  name." 

"  0  Manlius !  You  are  saying  a  great 
deal  about  Carinus,  who  was  once  your 
schoolmate. " 

"  J  have  no  inclination  to  boast  of  that. 
True,  I  often  shared  my  bread  with  him 
when  he  had  none,  and  exchanged  his 
tattered  pallium  for  mine,  but  I  feel  no 
desire  that  he  should  ever  recognise  me, 
since  I  might  easily  fare  like  the  rest  of 
his  schoolmates  who  appeared  before  him 
to  remind  him  of  former  days,  and  whom 
Carinus  unceremoniously  thrust  into  the 
'  Tower  of  Forgetfulness,'  to  rid  himself 
of  the  uncomfortable  feelings  of  the  past." 

"Ah!  Manlius,  you  are  talking  like 
Seneca.  You  will  never  rise  high  in  Ca- 
rinus's  favour  in  this  way." 

"  When  was  that  necessary  for  a  free 
13 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

Eoman?"  cried  the  knight,  raising  his 
head  proudly.  "I  have  a  sword  and  a 
brave  heart;  if  these  will  not  lead  me  to 
fame,  I  want  no  power  which  can  be  ob- 
tained by  crawling  in  the  dust.  It  suits 
only  dogs  and  libertines." 

Mesembrius  laughed  and  rubbed  his 
hands  in  delight;  then  he  urged  the  youth 
to  drink  more,  and  the  wine  began  to  re- 
store to  the  face  trained  amid  the  corrup- 
tion of  Eoman  society  to  dissimulation, 
its  real  character. 

"Go  on  with  your  story,  my  good 
Manlius;  we  stopped  at  the  battle  of 
Ctesiphon.  That  is  the  enemy  stopped 
there,  while  you  went  on  as  far  as  you 
could." 

"With  all  due  respect  to  your  grey 
beard,  Senator,  never  say  to  me:  as  far 
as  you  could.  For  we  might  have  gone 
to  the  Juxartes — there  were  none  who 
could  have  opposed  us.  The  flying  Per- 
sians vainly  destroyed  everything  before 
14 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

us :  not  even  deserts  and  wildernesses  can 
offer  obstacles  to  the  Roman  legions; 
every  soldier  carried  provisions  enough 
for  ten  days  on  his  back.  I  ought  to  add 
that,  during  the  whole  dreary  campaign, 
we  slept  on  the  frozen  ground  in  the  se- 
verest winter  weather.  The  Persians  con- 
vinced themselves  that  they  could  not 
check  our  advance,  and,  when  we  reached 
a  city  whose  barbarous  name  the  gods 
cannot  expect  a  Roman  tongue  to  utter, 
we  encamped  there.  As  twilight  closed 
in,  the  envoys  of  the  Persian  monarch — 
magnificently  dressed  men  with  braided 
hair,  rouged,  with  black  eyebrows  and 
fingers  laden  with  rings — came  and  asked 
to  be  led  before  the  Augustus:  I  mean 
Carus,  don't  confound  him  with  Carinus. 
They  were  conducted  into  the  presence 
of  a  man  who  was  sitting  on  the  bare 
ground,  with  a  yellow  leather  cap  on  his 
head,  eating  rancid  bacon  and  raw  beans. 
He  had  thrown  over  his  shoulders  a 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 


j,  shabby  purple  mantle,  which  dis- 
tinguished him  from  the  others." 

"That  was  Carus;  I  recognise  him," 
muttered  the  old  Senator. 

"The  Augustus  did  not  even  permit 
the  entrance  of  the  envoys  to  interrupt 
him  in  his  meal,  and  while  he  was 
quietly  crunching  the  beans  with  his 
strong  teeth,  they  delivered,  with  theatri- 
cal pathos,  their  carefully  prepared 
speeches,  whose  glittering  promises  and 
high-sounding  threats  harmonised  ill  with 
the  raw  lupines  which  the  Caesar  was  eat- 
ing. When  they  finished  at  last,  Carus 
took  the  yellow  leather  cap  from  his 
smooth  bald  head,  and,  pointing  to  it, 
said  to  the  ambassadors :  '  Look  here,  and 
heed  my  words.  If  your  king  does  not 
acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  Rome  and 
restore  her  provinces,  I'll  make  your  coun- 
try as  bare  as  my  head.'" 

"I  recognise  Carus  there,  too." 

"The  envoys  went  off  in  great  alarm, 
16 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

and  the  legions  struck  up  the  war 
song,  whose  refrain  is :  Mille,  mille,  mille 
occidit." 

"It  was  composed  in  honor  of  Cams, 
who  is  said  to  have  killed  in  many  a  bat- 
tle more  than  a  thousand  foes." 

"Yes,  yes,  that's  true." 

"His  son  would  kill  ten  times  as 
many,  but  of  his  own  subjects.  Never 
mind  that,  however.  Go  on,  Manlius; 
tell  me  what  else  befell  you.  Every  one 
has  a  different  story  about  that  whole 
campaign.  One  says  you  were  attacked 
by  the  black  legions,  a  second  speaks  of 
tumults,  a  third  of  miracles.  This  much 
is  certain :  instead  of  pressing  onward,  you 
suddenly  turned  back,  although  no  one 
could  resist  you,  you  said." 

"And  it  is  true;  men  could  no  longer 
resist  us,  but  is  there  no  mightier  power 
on  earth?" 

"Certainly;  the  Roman  gods.  But  I 
hope  you  did  not  draw  their  wrath  upon 
'7 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

you,  and  that  your  augurs  had  favorable 
omens.  Your  uncle,  the  world-renowned 
Quaterquartus,  was  with  you." 

"Yes,  he  was  with  us,  and  there  was 
no  lack  of  victims  or  of  the  entrails  of 
beasts,  and  plenty  of  crows  were  caught." 

"Manlius,  you  speak  of  these  sacred 
things  in  a  very  profane  way." 

"  I  have  every  reason  to  do  so.  Our 
soldiers  once  captured  a  man  clad  partly 
in  skins  who,  according  to  his  statement, 
had  retired  into  the  wilderness  to  mortify 
his  body  in  honor  of  an  invisible  God. 
He  had  built  a  pillar  of  stones,  on  whose 
top  he  had  already  spent  thirty  winters 
and  summers,  exposed  to  frost  and 
scorching  heat.  There  he  stood  all  day 
long,  with  arms  outstretched  like  a  cross, 
bending  forward  and  striking  his  head 
against  his  knees.  Several  legionaries 
were  curious  to  learn  the  number  of 
these  bows,  but  when  they  had  count- 
ed nineteen  hundred  they  grew  weary, 
18 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

dragged  him  from  his  pillar,  and  killed 
him."* 

"  And  did  you  pity  this  Nazarene  ?  " 
"  Let  us  speak  lower,  Mesembrius.  It 
is  dangerous  to  utter  and  to  hear  my 
words.  Do  not  think  that  I  am  intoxi- 
cated and  invent  this  tale.  I  saw  this 
man  breathe  his  last ;  for  I  came  too  late 
to  save  him.  He  did  not  curse  his  mur- 
derers. An  expression  of  supernatural 
bliss  rested  upon  his  face,  he  raised  his 
eyes  rapturously  toward  heaven,  and  died 
blessing  those  who  slew  him.  I  drove 
them  away  and,  to  relieve  his  suffering, 
gave  him  some  cold  water.  He  thanked 
me  and,  with  his  last  strength,  whispered 
in  my  ear :  '  Eoman !  do  not  cross  the 
Tigris,  for  there  lies  the  Eden  of  the  in- 
visible God,  who  is  not  to  be  offended.' 
I  repeated  the  warning  to  the  Caesar's 
younger  son,  Numerian,  who  was  the 
friend  of  every  good  soldier,  and  he  car- 
»  Simeon  the  Stylite. 
19 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

ried  it  to  the  Augustus,  who,  struck  by 
the  ascetic's  words,  asked  Quaterquartus 
to  hold  an  augurium.  My  uncle's  skill 
in  announcing  oracles  which  no  one  can 
contradict  is  well  known." 

"Your  words  are  very  bold,  Sinister." 

"Thus  he  once  predicted  to  Probus 
that,  after  a  thousand  years,  his  family 
would  restore  the  ancient  glory  of  Rome. " 

"  After  a  thousand  years !  * 

"At  the  end  of  a  long  mummery  we 
learned  from  my  uncle's  muttering  lips 
that  God  would  fight  in  the  next  battle." 

"Without  adding  whether  with  or 
against  us  ? " 

"The  Imperator  ordered  us  to  march 
forward  and,  on  the  very  same  day,  we 
crossed  the  Tigris.  At  sunset  several  of 
the  men  who  had  killed  the  martyr  Sim- 
eon Stylites  were  suddenly  filled  with 
horror  and  cried  out  loudly;  for  lo!  he 
stood  before  them  on  a  hilltop  with 
arms  outstretched  like  a  cross,  while 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

amid  continual  bowing  he  struck  his 
knees  with  his  head.  And  I  had  helped 
to  bury  the  lifeless  form !  The  night  was 
dark;  clouds,  rising  from  all  directions, 
covered  the  horizon ;  flashes  of  lightning 
darted  to  and  fro  in  the  distance  as  if 
they  were  fighting  with  one  another. 
The  pealing  of  thunder  echoed  nearer  and 
nearer,  the  world  was  veiled  in  gloom, 
sounds  never  heard  before  began  to  roar 
about  us,  and  when  a  vivid  flash  of  light- 
ning seemed  to  cleave  the  depths  of  the 
firmament,  we  imagined  that  we  beheld 
countless  shining  forms  gazing  down  at 
us.  It  appeared  to  every  legion  as  though 
the  other  legions  were  engaged  in  a  fierce, 
bloody  conflict,  the  clashing  of  swords  and 
lances  echoed  around  us,  but  there  was 
no  fighting  anywhere.  In  the  darkness 
we  thought  that  our  whole  army  was 
transformed  into  a  single  vast,  confused 
mass,  in  which  man  fought  against  man, 
the  mounted  cohorts  trampled  down  the 

21 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

foot-soldiers,  the  tribunes  rode  at  the 
head  of  the  legions,  and  the  troops  met 
in  desperate,  destructive  shocks.  Only 
while  the  lightning  glared  did  we  see  the 
legions  standing  in  motionless  squares  in 
their  places.  Suddenly,  amid  a  terrific 
peal  of  thunder,  a  quivering  mass  of  fire 
crashed  down  amid  our  ranks,  shaking 
the  earth  beneath  and  the  air  around  us. 
Horror  made  us  fall  upon  our  knees,  every 
animal  hid  its  head  in  the  earth,  and  the 
fearful  tumult  roared  into  our  ears  the 
judgment  of  a  mighty  God.  When  we 
ventured  to  look  up  again,  a  fire  was  blaz- 
ing in  the  midst  of  our  camp.  The  light- 
ning had  struck  the  tent  of  the  Augustus. 
No  one  dared  to  extinguish  it,  though 
the  Caesar  and  the  statues  of  the  protect- 
ing gods  of  the  army  were  within  its 
walls.  All  were  burned.  Then  who  are 
the  gods,  if  not  they?  0  Mesembrius, 
is  it  true  that  above  us  dwells  an  invisi- 
ble Being,  who  is  the  Lord  of  heaven  and 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

earth,  and  that  the  lifeless  stone  images 
which  we  worship  are  not  even  able  to 
defend  themselves  ?  * 

Mesembrius  pressed  the  youth's  hand. 
He  had  heard  enough. 

"We  will  say  no  more  about  it,  Man- 
lius.  You  shrank  from  the  power  that 
barred  your  way.  It  was  God!  How 
did  the  army  behave  later?  " 

"  The  soldiers  could  not  be  induced  to 
march  forward ;  they  walled  up  the  place 
where  Carus  Augustus  was  helplessly 
burned  with  the  protecting  gods  of  Home, 
and  now  there  stands  in  the  midst  of  the 
wilderness  a  building  with  neither  doors 
nor  windows,  that  no  human  foot  may 
enter  the  spot  which  God  has  cursed. 
The  troops  chose  Numerian  for  their  com- 
mander, and  demanded  that  he  should 
lead  them  back  to  Illyria.  I  was  com- 
missioned to  bear  these  tidings  to  Cari- 
nus;  that  is  why  I  am  here  with  you." 

"  I  hope  you  will  do  this  often.  It  is 
23 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

a  great  pleasure  to  be  able  to  live  in 
Eome,  is  it  not?  " 

"  No  pleasure  to  me ;  I  would  rather  go 
back  to  my  legions." 

"Eeally?  Then  surely  you  have  not 
yet  seen  Carinus'  circus  and  the  magnifi- 
cent games  which  only  Eome  can  offer; 
you  have  not  visited  the  baths  of  Anto- 
nius,  the  warm  baths  scented  with  the  fra- 
grance of  roses  in  walls  adorned  with 
gems — you  have  not  yet  found  the  woman 
you  love  in  Eome,  eh  ?  " 

"  I  have  seen  all,  without  rinding  pleas- 
ure in  it.  What  am  I,  a  battle-scarred 
legionary,  just  from  the  rude  land  of 
Scythia,  to  admire  in  the  bloody  fool's- 
play  of  your  arenas?  Here  they  make  a 
game  of  war;  we  make  war  a  game. 
And  I  never  cared  for  the  thermae ;  warm 
baths  are  only  fit  for  quirites,  not  for  sol- 
diers. Blood  can  be  washed  off  with  cold 
water;  true,  a  polluted  man  needs  warm." 

"  But  you  have  not  answered  my  third 
24 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

question.  Have  you  found  no  fair  wo- 
man in  Kome?  Yet  why  do  I  ask? 
They  will  find  you,  even  if  you  do  not 
seek  them.  Oh,  the  Roman  beauties  are 
neither  proud  nor  arrogant.  When  you 
have  once  appeared  in  the  Forum,  and 
they  have  seen  your  stately,  well-formed 
figure,  I  shall  have  to  ask :  Did  they  not 
drag  you  away  with  them?  Did  they 
not  tear  you  to  pieces  as  the  Bacchantes 
did  Orpheus  ? " 

*  Oho !  Mesembrius,  the  falcon  is  not 
caught  with  lime-twigs." 

"  Go !  go !  Why  should  you  be  a  falcon 
any  more  than  the  rest?  As  if  the  doves 
of  Venus  had  not  built  their  nests  in  the 
helmet  of  Mars!  Go!  Dissimulation 
does  not  suit  your  face.  You  flushed 
crimson  and  lowered  your  eyes.  Why 
do  you  wish  to  deceive  an  old  man  like 
me?  Or  have  the  morals  of  Rome  im- 
proved under  the  shadow  of  Carinus? 
And  while  formerly,  when  one  of  the 
25 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

Vestal  Virgins  died,  a  substitute  could 
scarcely  be  found,  have  all  who  once 
worshipped  Aphrodite  become  priestesses 
of  Vesta? " 

"I  did  not  say  so,  Mesembrius." 
"  Then  it  is  the  other  way.  Come,  don't 
deny  that  you  have  had  an  interesting  ad- 
venture. Five  or  six  women  surrounded 
you  at  once,  laying  their  hearts  and  for- 
tunes at  your  feet,  and  you  chose  the 
fairest,  the  one  whose  embraces  were 
most  ardent,  whose  kisses  were  most 
glowing?  Or  you  could  not  choose,  and 
loved  them,  all  ?  One  crowned  you  with 
garlands  in  the  evening,  another  in  the 
morning;  you  vowed  fidelity  to  one  by 
the  sun,  to  another  by  the  moon,  and  loy- 
ally kept  your  vow  to  every  one  ?  Very 
good,  very  noble!  This  is  the  joy  of 
youth,  Manlius!  In  my  early  years  I 
was  no  better ! " 

"But,  Mesembrius,  you  gave    me  no 
time  to  speak;  all  that  you  are  saying 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

has  nothing  to  do  with  me.  I  will  frank- 
ly confess  that  during  my  one  day's  stay 
in  Rome  I  had  more  to  do  with  the  slaves 
who  were  sent  to  me  by  their  mistresses 
than  with  their  husbands,  to  whom  I  had 
been  sent;  but  it  is  not  my  habit  to  at- 
tribute any  special  importance  to  such 
matters.  I  am  a  member  of  the  Manlius 
family,  in  which  it  is  an  ancient  custom 
for  the  men  to  love  only  one  woman,  but 
faithfully  and  forever — to  mourn  her  con- 
stantly if  she  dies,  to  kill  her  if  she  be- 
trays him,  and  to  avenge  her  if  she  is 
wronged. " 

"These  are  fine  words,  Manlius,  but  I 
see  a  ring  glittering  on  your  finger  of  a 
style  which  men  do  not  wear ;  I  suppose 
it  belongs  to  the  woman  you  love." 

"  You  are  not  mistaken  in  one  thing. 
The  ring  belongs  to  a  lady,  and  I  wear  it 
solely  on  your  account." 

"Mine,  Manlius?  What  is  the  ring  to 
me?" 

27 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"When  I  left  the  Capitol  yesterday 
evening  a  veiled  matron  slipped  a  thin 
roll  of  manuscript  into  my  hand  and  van- 
ished swiftly  among  the  colonnades;  the 
roll  was  passed  through  this  ring.  From 
curiosity  I  opened  the  parchment  and 
read  the  following  mysterious  words: 
'  Manlius  Sinister!  You  love  a  maiden 
whose  father  is  your  friend.  This  old 
man  and  his  young  daughter  are  threat- 
ened by  a  danger  which,  except  by  the 
gods  and  their  foes,  is  known  to  me  alone. 
If  you  wish  to  learn  it,  hasten  to  me. 
The  bearer  of  this  letter  will  wait  for  you 
at  the  Pans  Sacer,  night  and  day,  until 
you  come.  If  you  show  her  this  ring,  she 
will  lead  you  to  me.  Signed,  A  woman 
who  has  loved  you  from  your  childhood, 
and  whom  you  have  always  scorned ;  who 
is  hated  by  those  whom  she  desires  to 
save.'  " 

"This  is  a  strange  occurrence,  Man- 
lius." 

28 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"  To  me  it  is  an  incomprehensible  mys- 
tery. Who  has  the  power  to  look  into 
the  depths  of  my  heart  and  read  its  feel- 
ings ?  Have  my  dreams  betrayed  me,  that 
some  one  knows  I  love  your  daughter, 
whom  I  saw  four  years  ago,  and  have 
been  unable  since  to  forget  ?  And  who  can 
the  woman  be  who  seeks  to  save  another 
woman  whose  love  shuts  out  her  own?  " 

The  old  man's  face  darkened.  The 
wine  stood  untouched  a  long  time  before 
the  two  who,  during  the  conversation,  had 
become  perfectly  sober.  But  their  hearts, 
which  the  wine  had  opened,  remained  un- 
veiled. 

"  Let  me  look  at  the  ring  more  closely," 
said  Mesembrius  in  a  low  tone. 

Manlius  held  out  his  hand.  The  stone 
in  the  ring  was  a  wonderfully  carved 
cameo — the  white  bust  of  a  beautiful  wo- 
man, with  Greek  features,  upon  a  pur- 
plish-yellow ground. 

Mesembrius  frowned  gloomily  as  he 
29 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

examined  the  cameo ;  he  averted  his  head, 
again  gazed  fixedly  at  the  ring,  and  at  last 
with  a  gesture  of  loathing,  thrust  it  from 
him  and  bowed  his  gray  head  despairing- 
ly on  his  breast. 

"  Why  do  you  look  so  sad  ? "  asked 
Manlius.  "  Do  you  know  this  ring  ?  Do 
you  know  its  owner !  " 

"I  know  her,"  replied  the  old  man  in  a 
hollow  tone. 

"Speak,  who  is  it?" 

"Who  is  it?"  repeated  Mesembrius 
with  flashing  eyes.  "Who  is  it?  A 
shameless  hetaira,  a  loathsome  courtesan, 
whose  breath  brings  pestilence  and  con- 
tagion to  the  inhabitants  of  Rome,  whose 
existence  is  a  blot  upon  the  work  of  crea- 
tion ;  who  has  been  cursed  by  her  father 
so  many  times  that,  if  all  his  execrations 
were  fulfilled,  no  grass  would  grow  upon 
the  earth  where  she  sets  her  foot,  and  com- 
passion itself  would  turn  from  her  in  ab- 
horrence." 

30 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

The  old  man's  last  words  were  lost  in 
a  convulsive  sob. 

"  Who  is  this  woman  ?  "  cried  Manlius, 
springing  from  his  chair. 

"This  woman  is  my  daughter,"  gasped 
Mesembrius. 

"Glyceria?" 

"Abraxas!"  The  old  man  fairly 
shouted  the  word  used  to  ward  off  evil, 
and  shuddered  with  loathing  as  he  heard 
the  name.  Manlius  drew  the  ring  from 
his  finger  and  went  to  the  window,  be- 
neath which  flowed  the  Tiber.  Mesem- 
brius guessed  his  intention. 

"  Don't  throw  it  into  the  water !  A  fish 
might  swallow  it,  the  fishermen  catch  it, 
and  it  would  again  see  the  light  of  day. 
It  will  poison  the  Tiber,  and  whoever 
drinks  from  it  will  go  mad.  Keep  it.  I 
have  an  idea,  on  account  of  which  you 
must  wear  this  ring.  You  said  you  had 
done  so  until  now  for  my  sake." 

"  I  kept  it  to  save  you,  if  need  be." 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"I  thank  you,  Sinister.  So  you  love 
me  and  my  daughter.  I  thank  you  again 
and  again ;  we  will  be  grateful.  In  re- 
turn, I  will  give  my  age,  she  her  youth. 
We  have  always  held  you  dear,  always 
regarded  you  as  one  of  our  family.  If 
you  wish  to  guard  us  from  peril — keep 
this  ring — go  with  it  where  you  are  led 
— seek  her  who  sent  it — and  kill  her." 

" Mesembrius !     She  is  your  daughter." 

"  If  the  basilisk  is  the  child  of  the  bird 
in  whose  nest  it  was  hatched." 

"But  she  desires  to  shield  you  from 
some  unknown  danger." 

"  For  me  the  world  has  no  danger  except 
she  herself !  What  pestilence,  earthquake, 
tempest,  and  scaffold  mean  to  the  dwellers 
upon  earth,  her  name  embodies  to  me! 
If  I  could  approach  her  I  would  kill  her. " 

"She  wishes  to  save  you." 

"  Do  not  believe  her.  Every  word  that 
falls  from  her  lips  is  a  lie;  she  has  de- 
ceived her  father,  she  deceives  the  gods. 
32 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

Her  face  looks  as  innocent  as  a  sleeping 
babe's.  When  she  speaks  you  are  en- 
chanted ;  if  you  should  let  her  go  on,  she 
would  draw  the  dagger  from  your  hand, 
bewitch,  ensnare  you,  melt  your  heart  by 
her  accursed  magic  arts  till  you  were  as 
cowardly  as  a  scourged  slave.  She  does 
not  paint  her  face  like  other  women,  but 
her  soul ;  now  she  is  luring  you  to  her  by 
the  pretext  that  she  wants  to  save  me  and 
Sophronia,  and  if  you  go  to  her  and  do 
not  thrust  your  sword  into  her  heart,  ere 
she  can  speak  one  word,  she  will  persuade 
you  to  kill  us." 

"Mesembrius,  what  has  she  done  to 
you  that  you  speak  of  her  thus  ?  " 

"What  has  she  done?  She  buried  me 
ere  I  was  dead !  She  dragged  my  grey 
beard  in  the  mire!  She  poisoned  my 
heart,  robbed  me  of  my  sight  and 
my  blood  to  paint  obscene  pictures  with 
them  upon  the  walls  of  the  lenocinium." 

"Fury  blinds  you,  Mesembrius." 
33 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

'  "Why  should  it  not  blind  me?  Has  a 
Eoman  no  right  to  curse  when  people  say 
to  him  in  the  Forum :  '  Dismount  from 
your  horse,  for  your  daughter  has  lost  her 
honour ! '  Can  I  show  myself  anywhere  in 
Rome  without  witnessing  my  disgrace? 
Is  not  her  name  prostituted  in  all  the 
shameless  verses  of  an  ^Evius  and  Mavius  ? 
Did  she  not  appear  in  the  amphitheatre 
in  a  pantomime  before  the  exulting,  roar- 
ing populace  ?  Does  she  riot  go  in  broad 
daylight,  with  her  shameless  train,  clad 
in  a  tunica,  vitrea  or  ventus  textilis  ? 
Does  she  not  allow  herself  to  be  painted 
as  Venus  vulgivava  ?  And  is  there  an 
orgy,  a  bacchanalian  festival,  in  which 
she  does  not  play  the  loathsome  part  of 
queen?  Oh,  Manlius,  it  is  terrible  when 
the  hair  is  grey  to  be  unable  to  look  men 
in  the  face,  to  hear  everywhere  and  be 
forced  to  read  in  the  eyes  of  all :  '  This  is 
Mesembrius  who  corrupts  Eome!  This 
man  gave  life  to  the  monster  who  daily 
34 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

consumes  the  bread  and  drinks  the  blood 
of  a  hundred  thousand  starving  people. 
Let  us  beware  of  approaching  him.'  Oh, 
Manlius,  believe  me,  you  will  yet  kill  this 
woman." 

"  I  have  never  killed  a  woman,  and  I 
never  shall." 

"  Remember  my  words.  This  Megeera 
loves  you,  and  she  knows  full  well  that 
you  love  another.  That  this  other  is  her 
sister  will  not  trouble  her ;  these  satiated 
Messalinas  are  fastidious,  even  in  blood. 
Ordinary  blood  no  longer  tickles  their 
palates;  that  of  their  own  kindred  is 
sweetest." 

"  Guard  your  tongue  from  omens !  " 

"  I  feel  what  I  say,  Manlius.  It  would 
be  better  for  you  to  slay  this  woman  from 
caution  than  for  vengeance.  When  you 
see  a  serpent,  you  crush  it,  do  you  not, 
without  waiting  till  it  strikes  its  fangs 
into  your  flesh,  and  gives  you  reason  to 
destroy  it? " 

35 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"  You  are  a  father,  Mesembrius.  I  un- 
derstand your  grief,  but  do  not  share  it." 

"  You  will  become  a  husband,  and  then 
you  will  share  it." 

"  How  can  you  expect  me  to  hate,  old 
friend,  after  you  have  rendered  me  happy? 
You  talk  of  your  wrath  to  a  sleeper 
dreaming  of  his  bliss,  while  your  furious 
words  disturb  the  stillness  of  the  night. 
From  all  you  say  I  realize  only  that  I 
shall  possess  Sophronia's  love.  This 
word,  this  thought  inspirited  me,  even 
when  the  war  cries  of  the  fierce  Sarma- 
tians  were  thundering  in  my  ears,  even 
during  the  nocturnal  attacks  of  the  le- 
gions, and  in  the  scorching  sunshine  of 
Persian  battle-fields.  I  beheld  her  lovely 
face  in  the  river  which,  swollen  by 
streams  of  blood,  overflowed  its  banks. 
It  hovers  before  me  now  while  you  talk 
of  blood,  and  amid  your  savage  speech  I 
hear  but  one  thing — that  she  will  be 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"Now  I  perceive  the  truth  of  the  words 
that  love  makes  us  blind." 

"And  hate  reckless,  you  must  add." 

"May  the  gods  grant  that  you  are 
right;  that  some  day  the  whole  world 
may  say :  '  Mesembrius,  the  daughter 
whom  you  disowned  is  pure  as  Diana, 
and  all  you  said  of  her  was  slander, 
blind  imagination!'  I — but  even  then 
I  would  say  that  you  must  kill  her, 
Manlius,  for  she  has  deceived  the  whole 
world ! " 

The  old  man's  eyes  were  bloodshot; 
excitement  had  so  wrought  upon  his 
whole  nervous  system  that  he  trembled 
from  head  to  foot,  and  when  he  rose  from 
the  triclinium  he  gripped  the  arm  with 
such  force  that  the  ivory  sphinx  remained 
in  his  hand. 

"  Slaves,   bring  torches !  "   he    shouted 

loudly,  forgetting  that  he  usually  spoke 

with  asthmatic  panting.     "Let  us  go  to 

rest,  Manlius;  it  is  long  past  midnight. 

37 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 


you  dream  of  your  love  as  I  shall 
of  my  hate." 

He  left  the  pavilion  as  he  spoke,  and 
moved  firmly,  with  head  erect,  through 
the  long  garden  to  his  villa,  without 
remembering  that  he  could  not  walk 
a  step  on  account  of  his  gout.  The 
slaves  pushed  his  empty  chair  behind 
him. 

Manlius  remained  a  long  time  in  the 
triclinium,  lost  in  thought.  Leaning  over 
the  sill  of  the  window  above  the  Ti- 
ber he  gazed  dreamily  into  the  waves, 
flooded  with  silver  by  the  rising  moon. 
Black  boats  glittered  in  her  rays  along 
the  shore,  and  the  notes  of  a  mournful 
hymn  echoed  from  the  distance  through 
the  still  air.  The  outlines  of  a  woman's 
white-robed  figure  were  visible  in  one  of 
the  boats.  Manlius  was  reflecting  upon 
the  emotions  that  filled  his  heart.  He 
fancied  he  was  dreaming,  as  we  some- 
times dream  that  we  are  awake,  and  now 
38 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

imagined  that  he  was  dreaming  of  Sophro- 
nia's  gentle,  musing  face. 

He  had  no  rest;  some  indescribable 
feeling  oppressed  his  heart.  His  excited 
soul  longed  for  the  open  air,  and,  tak- 
ing his  sword,  he  wrapped  his  paluda- 
mentum  around  him,  entered  one  of  the 
skiffs  fastened  under  the  window,  and, 
loosing  it  from  the  chain,  rowed  in  the 
direction  of  the  mysterious  melody. 


39 


CHAPTEE   II. 

WHAT  a  wonderful  phenomenon  it  was 
that  truth  should  triumph  over  fiction, 
and  the  simple  doctrines  of  the  Cross 
should  conquer  delusive  mythology ! 

The  religion  of  the  poets,  the  dreamy 
groves,  the  flower-strewn  shore,  the  cho- 
sen deities  of  the  sunlit  island  worlds, 
who  in  the  enthusiasm  of  this  artistic  na- 
ture rose  from  the  foam  of  the  sea,  were 
pervaded  by  the  fragrance  of  flowers,  im- 
mortalized as  stars.  Warm  ideal  figures 
united  with  mankind  by  sweet  love  dalli- 
ance. How  all  this  fabric  vanished 
from  the  arms  of  its  worshippers  at  one 
word  from  the  mighty  Being  who,  throned 
on  a  measureless  height,  is  yet  near  to 
every  human  creature,  whom  no  one  can 
see,  but  everyone  can  feel,  and  who  is  the 
40 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

God  of  the  stars  as  well  as  of  the  lilies  of 
the  field. 

How  the  altars  of  the  Olympian  gods 
gradually  grew  cold,  how  the  rose  gar- 
lands vanished  from  the  golden  plinths, 
how  the  people  disappeared  from  the  per- 
fumed halls  to  hear  beneath  the  open  sky, 
illumined  by  glowing  sunlight,  the  words 
of  an  invisible  truth. 

This  sky,  this  sunlit  sky  was  the  mys- 
tery of  mysteries!  The  night-sky,  with 
its  thousand  stars,  was  the  mythological 
heaven ;  that  of  the  day  belonged  to  the 
faith  of  the  truth  indivisible.  Neither 
the  depth  nor  the  height  of  the  latter  can 
be  measured.  We  only  feel  the  benefi- 
cent warmth,  and  from  the  infinite  blue 
distance  an  eternal  hope  tells  the  heart 
that  beyond  this  sky  is  another  and  a 
better  world,  of  which  this  earth  is  only 
the  shadow;  and  the  darker,  the  more 
gloomy  are  the  shadows  here,  the  more 
radiant  is  the  truth  there. 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

This  was  the  idea  which  won  the  vic- 
tory. Earth  ceased  to  be  a  prison;  death 
was  no  affliction,  and  the  Caesar  was  no 
longer  omnipotent. 

In  the  time  of  Augustus  Caesar  a  poet 
said: 

"  If  Eome  persecutes  thee,  whither  wilt 
thou  flee?  Wherever  thou  mayst  go, 
thou  art  everywhere  in  the  power  of 
Rome."  The  new  faith  offered  every 
persecuted  human  being  a  place  of  refuge, 
and  Rome  vainly  conquered  all  the  known 
world.  Another  unknown  world  full  of 
secret  joys  that  increased  in  proportion 
was  reserved  for  those  who  suffered  here 
below,  and  the  darker,  the  gloomier  the 
shadows  here,  the  more  radiant  would  be 
the  truth  there. 

This  faith  which  wiped  the  tears  from 
the  cheeks  of  those  who  wept  could  not 
fail  to  conquer.  Soon  persecutors  and 
persecuted  united  in  it,  for  it  alone  af- 
forded comfort  to  him  who  suffered  inno- 
42 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

cently,  and  forgiveness  to  him  who  acted 
unjustly.  The  persecutions  of  the  Cae- 
sars only  increased  the  adherents  of  the 
new  religion  instead  of  lessening  them. 
In  the  public  streets  in  the  midst  of  Rome 
appeared  those  chosen  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  proclaim  the  doctrines  of  the  omnipo- 
tent God,  which  they  would  deny  neither 
on  funeral  pyres  nor  under  the  teeth  of 
the  wild  beasts  in  the  circus  games ;  and 
the  living  torches  which,  covered  with 
pitch,  were  kindled  to  light  the  imperial 
gardens,  declared,  even  in  the  midst  of 
the  flames,  that  what  was  anguish  and 
suffering  here  was  salvation  and  joy  there. 

In  vain  were  they  murdered.  The 
blood  of  the  slain  merely  sealed  the  doc- 
trines which  they  attested ;  and  whoever 
creates  martyrs  only  gains  implacable  foes. 

But  the  Imperator  Carinus  invented  a 
new  species  of  martyrdom. 

The  proselytes  shrank  neither  from 
death  nor  from  torture.  What  was  an- 
43 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

guish  to  others  seemed  bliss  to  them ;  and 
fragile  girls,  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost, 
sang  hymns  of  praise  in  the  midst  of  the 


Carinus  no  longer  had  these  sainted 
virgins  dragged  to  blazing  pyres,  but 
gave  them  to  his  soldiers;  and  virtuous 
women  who  did  not  recoil  from  the  most 
terrible  death  trembled  in  the  presence  of 
the  shame  which  scorched  the  purity  of 
their  souls  more  fiercely  than  the  flames 
of  the  burning  oil.  And  while  they  en- 
tered the  arena  of  the  circus  with  brave 
faces,  they  thought  with  horror  of  the 
hidden  dens  of  sin. 

It  was  a  diabolical  idea  to  punish  those 
who,  for  the  transparent  purity  of  their 
souls,  were  ready  to  renounce  all  the 
pleasures  and  joys  of  earth,  by  the  lowest 
form  of  these  joys.  And  Carinus  knew 
that  his  victims  could  not  even  escape 
this  disgrace  by  death,  since  the  religion 
of  the  Christians  forbade  suicide. 
44 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

Therefore  during  his  reign  believers 
met  at  the  hour  of  midnight  in  secret 
places,  subterranean  caverns,  and  aban- 
doned tombs,  and  dispersed  again  at 
dawn. 

The  Roman  augurs  had  been  informed 
of  these  secret  meetings;  and,  that  the 
people  might  help  in  searching  out  the 
places,  they  spread  the  report  that  the 
Christians,  after  all  the  lights  were  extin- 
guished, committed  horrible  deeds  which 
could  be  done  only  in  the  deepest  dark- 
ness. This  was  saying  a  great  deal,  since 
in  Rome  every  possible  atrocity  was  per- 
petrated in  the  brightest  daylight. 

Gliding  along  the  shore  in  his  boat, 
Manlius  constantly  drew  nearer  to  the 
singing  which  so  strangely  thrilled  his 
heart,  and  soon  reached  an  arm  of  the  Ti- 
ber, at  whose  mouth  about  twenty  empty 
boats  were  rocking  on  the  water. 

He  looked  around,  and  saw  by  the  dim., 
45 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

uncertain  moonlight,  a  large  round,  mas- 
sive building,  shaded  by  huge  Italian 
pines,  from  whose  interior  the  music 
seemed  to  issue. 

He  walked  around  it.  The  moon  was 
shining  through  the  windows  and  colon- 
nades, but  no  human  being  was  visible. 
Manlius  thought  with  a  shudder  of  the 
tales  of  witches  which  he  had  heard  in 
his  childhood,  of  the  Sabbath  of  wicked 
souls  that  met  in  invisible  forms  in  places 
shunned  by  all  men.  His  superstitious 
terror  increased  as  he  associated  the  vision 
of  his  dream  with  this  tradition.  He 
always  saw  before  him  the  face  of  lovely, 
gentle  Sophronia  when  he  tried  to  think 
of  these  accursed  sorcerers;  and  against 
the  gloomy,  horrible  background  her  smil- 
ing countenance  appeared. 

At  last  he  summoned  up  his  courage, 

and  releasing  his  hand  from  his  cloak,  he 

strode  resolutely  into  the  vestibule  of  the 

building.     As  he  entered,  his  thoughts, 

46 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

at  the  first  glance,  took  a  different  direc- 
tion ;  for  in  the  centre  of  this  vestibule  a 
square  stone  had  been  raised  from  the 
floor,  and  through  the  opening  thus 
formed,  a  subterranean  hall  could  be  seen, 
from  which  rose  the  singing. 

So  this  was  the  Agapeia  of  the  Chris- 
tians. 

Concealed  by  the  darkness  and  the 
shadow  of  a  pillar  Manlius  saw  before 
him  two  long  rows  of  figures.  The  heads 
of  the  men  were  covered  with  hoods,  the 
women  were  closely  veiled.  All  were 
singing  a  gentle,  mournful  melody.  The 
tones  expressed  self-sacrificing  sorrow,  a 
sublime,  quiet  suffering,  blended  with  a 
strange  suggestion  of  grief  which  sent  a 
cold  shiver  through  the  nerves  of  the  lis- 
tening Eoman. 

A  few  small  oil  lamps  were  burning  at 

the  end  of  the  dimly  lighted  hall,  by 

whose  faint  glimmer  Manlius  perceived  a 

lifeless   human    form,   whose   feet    and 

47 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

hands,  stretched  in  the  form  of  a  cross, 
were  pierced  with  nails,  while  a  crown  of 
thorns  adorned  the  brow,  and  a  freshly 
bleeding  wound  was  visible  in  the  side. 

"  So  these  are  the  terrible  people  who 
under  the  shelter  of  night  hold  their 
abominable  meetings,"  thought  Manlius, 
panting  for  breath  as  his  hand  sought  the 
hilt  of  his  sword ;  while  in  his  excitement 
he  fancied  he  saw  the  head  of  the  figure 
nailed  to  the  cross  sink  lower  and  lower. 

The  singing  ceased,  and  after  a  long, 
soughing  sound,  which  is  the  universal 
sigh  of  a  devout  assembly,  an  old  man, 
whose  snow-white  beard  floated  far  down 
on  the  breast  of  his  black  robe,  came  for- 
ward. Taking  a  cup  which  stood  at  the 
feet  of  the  crucified  form,  he  raised  it  to 
his  lips  and  kissed  it  three  times  with 
devout  fervour. 

But  instead  of  devotion  Manlius  saw  an 
expression  of  loathsome  bloodthirstiness 
in  the  face  of  the  grey-haired  monster, 
48 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

while  the  penitent  kneeling  of  the  men 
and  women  seemed  to  him  an  evil,  ob- 
scene movement;  and  the  cup  before 
which  all  bowed  their  heads,  in  his 
imagination,  was  filled  with  blood,  the 
blood  of  a  man  murdered  in  a  terrible 
manner. 

The  old  man  in  a  trembling  voice  said : 

"  In  this  cup  is  His  blood,  which  was 
shed  to  bless  us ;  this  cup  is  the  holy  re- 
membrance which  effaces ;  this  cup  is  the 
bond  by  which  we  shall  be  united  I  Wor- 
ship this  holy  symbol,  and  be  pure  through 
the  blood  of  the  purest !  " 

Shuddering,  Manlius  grasped  his  sword- 
hilt,  and  when  he  saw  a  tall  female  figure 
clad  in  white,  with  her  veil  partly  thrown 
back,  approach  the  old  man  and  take  the 
cup  from  his  hand,  he  tore  the  blade  from 
its  sheath  and,  frantic  with  horror,  sprang 
through  the  square  opening  into  the  midst 
of  the  hall. 

"  Hold,  accursed  murderers  1 "  he  cried, 
49 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

blinded  with  rage.  "  You  apostles  of  sin ! 
What  are  you  doing  here  ?  " 

Not  a  sound  was  heard  in  the  assem- 
bly. It  was  prepared  for  such  attacks. 
The  old  man  answered  quietly : 

"  We  are  worshipping  God ! * 

"  May  you  be  accursed  when  you  utter 
that  word !  You  have  committed  deeds 
for  which  even  the  darkness  of  night  is 
no  protection.  You  disturb  by  your  dia- 
bolical songs  the  dead  resting  beneath  the 
earth;  you  kill  human  beings  and  force 
one  another  to  drink  their  blood,  and 
when  your  nerves  are  roused  to  execrable 
excitement  by  this  blood,  you  extinguish 
your  torches  and  commit  sins  whose  bare 
thought  inspires  horror." 

"  You  will  repent  what  you  have  said, 
Manlius  Sinister !  "  cried  the  clear  voice 
of  a  woman  standing  beside  the  grey- 
beard. It  was  the  one  who  had  first 
taken  the  cup.  Manlius  started  as  he 
heard  a  familiar  voice  utter  his  own  name, 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

and  when  the  lady  now  threw  back  her 
veil,  he  beheld  in  amazement  Sophronia's 
gentle,  innocent  face,  with  its  mild,  calm 
eyes,  divine  smile,  and  the  hallowed 
power  of  an  almost  supernatural  firm- 
ness. 

"  Sophronia !  "  groaned  Manlius,  and  his 
drawn  sword  fell  from  his  hand.  Doubt 
took  possession  of  his  heart.  He  believed 
that  he  was  still  the  sport  of  a  terrible 
dream,  and  with  heavy  tongue  faltered : 

"  Gods  of  Olympus,  let  me  wake ! " 

"  You  are  awake !  *  said  Sophronia. 
"  Look  me  in  the  face.  I  am  Sophronia, 
the  friend  of  your  childhood." 

"  But  this  cup  of  blood " 

"  Blood  only  for  those  who  believe,  the 
remembrance  of  blood  for  those  who  re- 
member. Touch  it  with  your  lips." 

With  ill-repressed  loathing  Manlius 
tried  the  contents  of  the  cup  and  stam- 
mered in  amazement: 

"This  is  wine."     Then,  in  a  low  tone, 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

seized  by  a  fear  hitherto  unknown,   he 
asked :  "  And  that  dying  figure?  " 

"  Is  the  image  of  the  crucified  Saviour." 
Manlius  perceived  with  astonishment 
that  it  was  only  a  painted  picture. 
"Do  you  worship  a  dead  man?  " 
"A  god  who  became  man  to  die." 
"That  is  impossible." 
"  How  often  the  gods  of  Olympus  as- 
sumed  human  form  in  order   to   enjoy 
pleasures  whose  sweetness  can  be  experi- 
enced only  by  human  senses.     The  God 
of  Love,  our  God,  assumed  human  form 
in  order  to  be  able  to  feel  the  sorrows 
which  torture  mankind,  misery,  shame, 
persecution,   and   death.      The  gods   of 
Olympus  became  human  beings  to  show 
mortals  the  path  to  hell ;  the  God  of  Love, 
our  God,  became  a  mortal  to  guide  us  into 
the  way  to  heaven !     The  gods  of  Olym- 
pus are  brilliant,  royal  forms,  who  demand 
sacrificed  victims,  gold,  magnificent  tem- 
ples, bloody  hecatombs,  and  promise  in 
52 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

return  long  life,  treasures,  palaces,  and 
blood-stained  victories.  The  God  of 
Love,  our  God,  is  a  poor,  dead  form,  who 
asks  nothing  except  a  pure  heart,  and 
promises  nothing  at  all  for  this  life ;  whose 
image  is  a  symbol  that,  in  this  existence, 
we  shall  have  only  sorrow  and  suffering, 
but  in  another  world  joy  and  happiness 
await  us " 

While  these  words  were  uttered,  all 
who  were  present  involuntarily  bared  their 
heads.  Manlius  did  the  same,  without 
knowing  why.  The  others  knelt  down ; 
he,  too,  fell  on  his  knees. 

"  I  have  persecuted  you  wrongfully,"  he 
faltered,  extending  his  arms.  "  Take  ven- 
geance on  me." 

"  The  God  of  Love  commands  us  to  for- 
give our  persecutors.  Leave  this  place  in 
peace  and  confidence.  Though  you  should 
betray  us,  torture  us,  slay  us,  we  will 
pray  for  you. " 

"  May  I  be  accursed  if  I  do  so.  Never 
S3 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

can  I  leave  you  calmly,  for  you  have 
filled  my  heart  with  unrest.  The  terrible 
words  of  the  avenging  God  arrested  me  in 
my  path.  I  read  in  your  face  the  words 
of  the  all-pardoning  God.  Oh,  give  me 
comfort.  Must  I  lose  two  heavens :  one 
above,  the  other  in  your  heart?  " 

"The  heaven  of  love  is  closed  against 
no  one,"  said  Sophronia,  pointing  upward 
with  holy  devotion. 

Manlius  clasped  the  outstretched  hand, 
and  raising  it  to  his  lips,  asked  with  ten- 
der emotion : 

"And  your  heart? " 

"The  God  of  Love  does  not  forbid 
earthly  love,"  replied  Sophronia,  with  a 
radiant  smile. 

Manlius,  his  face  glowing  with  happi- 
ness, sank  at  the  young  girl's  feet,  resting 
at  her  side  like  a  tamed  lion,  while 
through  the  hall  rang  the  hymn  of  joy 
which  teaches  rejoicing  with  those  who 
rejoice. 

54 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

The  grey-haired  patriarch  laid  his  hand 
upon  the  new  catechumen's  head,  and  the 
dying  God  looked  in  benediction  upon 
them  all. 


55 


CHAPTER  IK. 

THE  next  day  it  was  old  Mesembrius' 
first  care  to  send  for  his  daughter  and 
speak  to  her  of  Manlius,  whom,  of  course, 
he  praised  according  to  his  deserts. 

The  young  girl's  cheeks  glowed  during 
the  conversation,  and,  as  her  face  be- 
trayed, she  confessed  to  her  father,  with 
sincere  joy,  that  she  had  long  loved  the 
young  soldier. 

Mesembrius  could  not  find  words  to 
express  his  pleasure.  He  embraced  So- 
phronia  again  and  again,  and  with  tears  of 
happiness  placed  her  in  the  arms  of  Man- 
lius, who  entered  at  that  moment. 

"My  only  blessing,"  he  faltered,  in 
tones  trembling  with  emotion. 

"0  my  father,"  said  Sophronia  mourn- 
fully, "do  not  say  your  only  blessing. 
You  have  another  daughter. " 
56 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"May  my  curse  rest  upon  her  head. 
Hasten  your  marriage,  and  then  go  far, 
far  away  from  here.  So  far  that  not  even 
a  cloud  from  this  sky  can  follow  you. 
This  soil  is  already  so  laden  with  sins  that 
it  trembles  every  moment  under  them  as 
if  it  could  no  longer  bear  the  burden.  Go 
hence,  that  you  may  not  perish  with  the 
guilty.  I  only  wish  to  live  for  the  mo- 
ment that  I  know  you  are  happy  and  be- 
yond the  two  seas ;  then,  for  aught  I  care, 
death  or  Carinus  may  come." 

That  very  hour  Manlius  returned  to 
Rome  to  set  his  house  in  order,  and  when 
he  had  made  all  the  preparations  for  the 
wedding,  he  again  mounted  his  horse,  and 
late  in  the  evening  rode  to  old  Mesem- 
brius'  villa. 

It  was  already  past  midnight.  The 
sky  was  covered  with  clouds.  He  could 
only  move  at  a  walk,  when,  on  reaching  a 
bridge,  he  saw  a  dark  group  of  people  com- 
ing from  a  side  path. 
57 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

It  seemed  to  be  a  band  of  prisoners 
guarded  by  soldiers.  At  that  time  of 
wars  with  the  barbarians,  robbers  and 
thieves  had  increased  so  much  that  they 
gave  the  praetorians  uninterrupted  work. 
Manlius  supposed  that  he  had  met  such  a 
company,  and  quietly  returned  the  salute 
of  the  passing  soldiers. 

Only  one  circumstance  seemed  strange 
— a  woman's  tall  figure,  with  a  long 
white  mantle  floating  around  it,  rode  at 
the  end  of  the  train.  When  she  saw  Man- 
lius stop  she  stopped  too,  as  if  she  ex- 
pected something.  They  remained  thus 
a  short  time,  looking  at  each  other ;  then 
they  turned  and  rode  on.  It  was  impos- 
sible to  distinguish  any  one's  features  in 
the  darkness. 

Manlius  paused  again,  glanced  back, 
and  considered  whether  to  return  and  ask 
some  question ;  he  did  not  know  himself 
what. 

But  pleasanter  thoughts  soon  occupied 
58 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

his  mind,  and  as  the  clouds  parted,  al- 
lowing a  silvery  streak  to  glide  over  the 
Tiber,  his  spirits  also  brightened,  and  he 
dashed  joyously  forward  to  the  beloved 
home  of  Sophronia. 

He  could  already  see  the  colossal  out- 
lines of  the  Mesembrius  villa,  when  he 
perceived  in  the  road  a  magnificent  lectica, 
inlaid  with  mother-of-pearl  and  hung  with 
silk  curtains,  such  as  in  those  days  only 
the  most  aristocratic  women  used  in  trav- 
eling. Two  splendidly  caparisoned 
sumpter  mules  were  harnessed  to  the  four 
poles,  beside  which  marched  two  slaves. 

Therefore  the  young  man's  surprise  was 
so  much  the  greater  when  he  saw  a  man's 
ugly,  pock-marked  face  thrust  out  be- 
tween the  curtains,  and  instantly  recog- 
nised ^Evius,  the  base  parasite,  who  was 
ready  for  half  a  sestertia  to  compose  a 
panegyric  upon  the  last  gladiator,  and  had 
prepared  for  Carinus  Caesar's  greyhound  a 
genealogy,  according  to  which,  on  the 
59 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

mother's  side,  it  had  descended  directly 
from  the  she-wolf  that  suckled  the  twin 
brothers  Eomulus  and  Eemus. 

Manlius  could  not  repress  a  smile  at 
the  singular  situation  of  the  panegyrist. 

"  Oho,  ^Evius,  how  long  has  the  Caesar 
had  you  carried  about  in  a  lectica  like  an 
aristocratic  courtesan? " 

"Be  merciful,  Manlius,  and  do  not  jeer 
at  me.  I  am  the  most  miserable  writer 
of  verse  since  Pegasus  became  the  steed  of 
poets.  Just  think  what  a  favorable  op- 
portunity presented  itself  to  secure  immor- 
tality. Yesterday  afternoon  I  learned 
that  by  the  Caesar's  command  a  band  of 
idol-worshipping  Christians  would  be  sur- 
prised at  their  meeting  place  on  the  Ti- 
ber; and  I  instantly  hired  a  horse — a 
horse  that  exactly  suited  me,  for  I  could 
not  miss  the  chance  of  perpetuating  so 
rare  a  spectacle  by  the  power  of  my  lyre 
for  the  benefit  of  posterity.  There  would 
be  so  many  things  priceless  to  us  poets, 
60 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

such  as  killing,  crucifixion,  boiling  in 
pitch,  and  similar  matters.  And  now 
how  have  I  fared !  On  the  way  the  gods 
of  Egypt  threw  me  into  the  company  of 
an  accursedly  charming  woman  who  was 
being  borne  along  in  this  superb  traveling 
litter.  First,  this  woman  lured  my  secret 
from  me,  then  she  lured  me  off  my  horse 
to  sit  by  her  side  in  the  vehiculum  ;  and 
with  Junonian  perfidy  to  a  heaven-aspir- 
ing Ixion,  she  sprang  out  on  the  other 
side,  swung  herself  upon  my  horse,  which 
she  sat  with  the  ease  of  an  Amazon 
queen,  and  laughing  merrily  gave  me  the 
advice,  if  I  was  a  poet,  to  use  Pegasus, 
then  dashed  along  the  road  I  had  pointed 
out,  leaving  me  in  this  time-killing  ap- 
paratus, which  is  more  tiresome  than  the 
hour-glass.  She  probably  reached  the 
scene  of  the  spectacle  in  season,  while  I, 
with  these  two  mules  and  two  asses,  lost 
my  way  so  completely  that  I  am  obliged 
to  return  to  Rome." 
61 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

Manlius  held  his  breath  as  he  listened 
to  the  parasite's  words. 

"  Who  was  this  woman?  "  he  asked  in  a 
hollow  tone. 

"Don't  you  know  her  lectica,  Man- 
lius ?  Ah,  you  are  still  a  novice  in  Rome 
if  you  do  not,  and  doubtless  come  from 
very  distant  lands  where  such  things  are 
not  mentioned,  gelidis  Scythice  ab  oris. 
This  is  the  vehiculum  of  the  unaccounta- 
ble and  indescribable  Glyceria,  and  the 
woman  who  outwitted  me  was  no  other 
than  the  Circe  who  has  turned  goddess, 
is  worshipped  by  every  one,  including 
myself  and  Carinus,  and  who  thus  mal- 
treats every  one  and  changes  her  adorers, 
including  myself  and  Carinus,  into  calves 
and  oxen." 

Manlius  did  not  hear  the  poet's  last 
words.  When  the  name  "Glyceria" 
reached  him,  he  struck  his  heels  into  his 
horse's  flanks,  and  as  though  he  felt  the 
scourge  of  the  Furies  upon  him,  dashed 
62 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

wildly  into  the  courtyard  of  the  Villa 
Mesembrius. 

The  old  man,  without  noticing  the 
expression  of  rage,  terror,  and  despair  that 
darkened  the  knight's  face,  met  him  with 
a  smile. 

"  Is  your  daughter  at  home  ? "  asked 
Manlius,  trembling  in  every  limb,  and  as 
the  old  man  did  not  answer  at  once,  he 
repeated  anxiously:  "Where  is  your 
daughter,  Mesembrius  ? " 

The  aged  Senator  drew  the  youth,  who 
was  impatiently  awaiting  his  reply,  aside, 
and  whispered: 

"  I  will  tell  you  the  secret,  but  act  as 
though  you  did  not  know  it.  She  is  in 
the  habit  of  attending  the  meetings  of  the 
Christians.  She  has  gone  to  one  now, 
and  has  not  yet  returned. " 

Manlius,  trembling,  raised  both 
clenched  hands  heavenward,  and  shrieked : 

"  Cursed  be  the  heaven  which  permitted 
this  to  happen  1 " 

63 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

Mesembrius  drew  back  in  astonishment, 
asking  in  a  tone  of  bewilderment:  "  What 
is  the  matter?  "  • 

Manlius  despairingly  grasped  the  old 
man's  hand. 

"  You  have  been  robbed  of  your  daugh- 
ter." 

Mesembrius'  face  blanched,  and  sink- 
ing back  into  his  chair  he  faltered  with 
fixed  eyes,  "  Glyceria !  " 

"Yes,  you  are  right;  she  has  robbed 
you  of  her.  And  I,  blind  fool,  met  them, 
and  these  eyes  did  not  recognize  her  in 
the  darkness ;  this  pitiable  heart  did  not 
feel  that,  five  steps  off,  she  was  being 
borne  away  from  me.  If  it  could  happen 
that  the  sister  dragged  the  sister  to  death 
before  the  lover's  eyes,  what  means  your 
sovereignty,  Jupiter,  Ormuzd,  Zeus,  Ze- 
baoth,  and  the  rest  of  ye  chosen  kings  of 
destiny?  Fiends  rule  the  earth,  and  fate 
is  an  evil  omen!  But  I,  too,  will  be  no 
better.  Old  man,  gather  all  your  curses, 
64 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

begin  to  pour  them  forth  at  dawn,  and  do 
not  cease  till  nightfall.  Meanwhile  I 
will  act.  May  Dira  aid  me." 

The  old  man,  as  though  stricken  by 
palsy,  repeated:  "My  daughter;  oh,  my 
daughter — " 

Manlius  compressed  his  lips ;  a  bloody 
mist  flickered  before  his  eyes. 

"Your  daughter?  I  will  avenge  one 
and  kill  the  other!  May  Ate  be  with 
us  both.*" 

As  he  spoke  he  swung  himself  upon 
his  horse,  and  looking  neither  to  the  right 
nor  to  the  left,  galloped  back  at  frantic 
speed  to  Rome. 

•The  goddess  who  avenged  evil  deeds. 


CHAPTEE  IV. 

Panem  et  circenses !  was  the  watch- 
word of  the  Eoman  populace  when  hun- 
gry or  wearied. 

The  nation  was  really  in  a  most  admir- 
able situation.  It  never  knew  the  pro- 
saic occupation  of  labour.  The  Caesars 
distributed  gratis  bread,  wine,  and  oil, 
which  were  sent  by  the  conquered  prov- 
inces as  tribute;  and  as  for  the  games  in 
the  circus,  the  sovereigns  strove  to  sur- 
pass one  another  in  the  magnificence  of 
these  entertainments. 

Carinus  excelled  all  the  others  by  the 
great  variety  in  these  shows,  and  the 
reckless,  extravagant  splendour  of  their  ar- 
rangement. 

One  day  the  whole  arena  was  strewn 
with  gold  dust,  so  that  the  dust  clouds 
whirled  aloft  by  the  hoofs  of  the  tramp- 
66 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

ling  horses  glittered  in  the  sunlight ;  and 
the  quirites,  whose  garments  were  covered 
with  it,  went  home  actually  gilded. 

The  next  day  the  circus,  as  if  by  mag- 
ic, was  transformed  into  a  primeval  forest. 
Giant  oaks  which  had  been  brought  with 
their  roots  from  the  mountains,  leafy 
palms  conveyed  in  huge  casks  from  the 
coast  of  Africa,  had  been  planted  in  the 
midst  of  the  huge  space,  and  the  staring 
populace,  who  had  just  seen  a  desert  cov- 
ered with  gold  dust,  had  now  come  to  ad- 
mire, in  the  same  spot,  a  great  forest,  be- 
neath whose  shade  appeared .  the  rarest 
animals  of  the  South  and  East,  from  the 
graceful  giraffe  to  the  shapeless  hippo- 
potamus— a  perfect  Paradise,  with  trees 
ripening  golden  fruit,  in  whose  foliage 
birds  carolled,  amid  whose  branches  ser- 
pents twined,  and  beneath  which  wild 
peacocks  and  tame  ostrichs  preened  their 
plumage. 

When  the  people  grew  weary  of  gazing 
67 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

archers  came  and  shot  the  beautiful  crea- 
tures. Then  the  forest  was  removed,  and 
the  next  day  the  populace  beheld  in  its 
place  a  sea  on  which  whole  navies  fought 
bloody  battles. 

Again,  in  midsummer,  when  everyone, 
languishing  under  the  scorching  sunbeams, 
sought  shelter  in  the  shade,  the  people 
summoned  to  the  circus  saw,  with  sur- 
prise bordering  upon  terror,  a  winter 
scene. 

The  circus  was  covered  with  snow, 
which  had  been  brought  in  ships  and  carts 
from  the  icy  peaks  of  Noricum  and  Gal- 
lia,  and  over  which  hundreds  of  pretty 
sledges  were  gliding  amid  the  clear  ring- 
ing of  little  bells — a  sight  never  before 
witnessed  by  the  Eomans.  In  the  midst 
of  the  arena  icebergs  towered  aloft,  on 
which  lay  strangely  formed  seals,  and  over 
the  surface  of  a  round  pond,  where  pol- 
ished glass  took  the  place  of  ice,  skilful 
skaters  displayed  their  arts.  The  shiver- 
68 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

ing  Romans  wrapped  their  cloaks  around 
them,  wholly  forgetting  that  drops  of 
perspiration  were  trickling  down  their 
brows  from  the  heat ;  and  while  the  skat- 
ers pelted  the  spectators  with  snowballs, 
the  audience,  shouting  in  delight,  enthu- 
siastically cheered  the  Imperator  who  so 
generously  provided  for  the  amusement 
of  his  subjects. 

Let  us  now  seek  Carinus  in  his  own 
palace.  We  will  walk  through  the  enor- 
mous building,  which  with  its  extensive 
gardens  occupies  the  space  of  a  whole 
quarter  of  the  city.  Gilded  doors  lead 
into  corridors  like  streets,  which  end  in 
a  peristyle  supported  by  pillars.  In  the 
atrium  the  whole  court  moves  to  and  fro, 
slaves  playing  master  and  grooms  playing 
senator;  and  the  entrance  to  the  magnifi- 
cent apartments  of  Carinus  is  guarded  by 
a  brown-skinned  Thracian  giant. 

Happy  are  those  who  can  enter  there ! 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

For  here  man  no  longer  walks  on 
earth.  These  magnificent  oval  halls  al- 
low admittance  neither  to  the  light  of 
day  nor  to  the  season  of  the  year.  Here 
there  is  neither  winter  nor  summer,  day 
nor  night.  The  apartment  has  no  win- 
dows ;  lamps,  perpetually  burning  behind 
transparent  curtains,  diffuse  a  light  whose 
steady  glow  is  midway  between  that  of 
the  sun  and  moonbeams.  Here  the  best 
of  every  season  of  the  year  is  represented : 
the  warmth  of  summer,  which  is  conduct- 
ed hither  by  invisible  pipes,  the  ice  of 
winter,  the  flowers  of  spring,  and  the  fruit 
of  autumn.  Carinus  never  knows  wheth- 
er it  is  dawn  or  twilight,  whether  it  rains 
or  snows — with  him  pleasure  is  eternal. 

There  he  lies  among  the  cushions  of  his 
couch ;  before  him  is  a  table  laden  with 
choice  viands ;  around  him  a  mob  of  syc- 
ophants, dancers,  hetserse,  eunuchs,  sing- 
ing women,  parrots,  and  poets. 

His  face  is  that  of  a  youth  satiated 
70 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

with  every  pleasure,  pallid  and  disfigured 
by  large  red  freckles ;  his  features  express 
the  weariness  of  exhaustion.  Only  a  few 
hairs  are  visible  on  his  lips  and  his  chin. 

Two  eunuchs  are  alternately  lifting 
food  to  the  Caesar's  lips,  food  which  has 
already  caused  a  violent  headache,  amid 
which  a  single  dish  has  perhaps  cost  hun- 
dreds of  thousands,  yet  charms  the  palate 
solely  by  its  rarity.  Carinus  does  not  lift 
a  finger;  the  corners  of  his  mouth  droop 
sullenly,  and  a  motion  of  his  eyes  com- 
mands the  food-bearers  to  eat  the  expen- 
sive viands  themselves. 

Now  ideally  beautiful  female  slaves 
again  lift  golden  goblets  to  his  mouth; 
but  he  leaves  them,  too,  untouched  till  at 
last  a  Phrygian  takes  a  sip  of  the  spicy 
Cyprian  wine  and  offers  the  intoxicating 
liquor  in  her  rosy  lips.  This  stirs  the 
torpid  nerves  of  the  Csesar,  and  drawing 
the  slave  toward  him,  he  drinks  from  her 
coral  mouth. 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"I  will  marry  this  girl,"  he  says,  turn- 
ing to  one  of  the  courtiers. 

"You  wedded  the  daughter  of  a  pro- 
consul yesterday,  O  my  lord." 

"I  will  divorce  her  to-day.  Who  is 
this  slave's  father? " 

"A  carpenter  at  the  court." 

"I  will  appoint  him  proconsul." 

"This  will  be  your  ninth  wife  within 
four  months." 

Carinus  drew  the  Phrygian  down  beside 
him  and  laid  his  head  in  her  lap.  Sing- 
ing and  dancing  were  going  on  around 
him,  and  JLvius,  paying  no  heed  to  either, 
was  declaiming  before  him.  His  iambics 
extolled  with  shameless  flattery  all  the 
qualities  which  Carinus  did  not  possess, 
his  roseate  complexion,  his  bold,  fearless 
soul.  He  described  the  games  with  the 
utmost  detail,  and  spared  neither  Jupiter 
nor  Apollo,  that  he  might  laud  Carinus 
above  them. 

"Alas,  something  oppresses  and  dis- 
72 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

turbs  me.  I  don't  know  what  it  is," 
whined  Carinus. 

Instantly  two  or  three  slaves  were  at 
his  side,  straightening  his  cushions,  ar- 
ranging his  hair,  loosening  his  garments. 

"  Oh,  it  oppresses  and  disturbs  me  still." 

"  Perhaps  ^Evius's  iambics  trouble  you," 
said  Marcius,  the  Imperator's  barber. 

"Perhaps  so.     Stop,  ^Evius." 

The  poet  bowed  with  an  humble  look, 
though  secretly  bursting  with  rage.  The 
barber  had  interrupted  his  finest  verses. 

"What  is  it  that  disturbs  me  still?" 
groaned  Carinus  wrathf ully.  "  Guess ! 
Must  I  think  instead  of  you?  Something 
irritates,  something  vexes  me !  I  should 
like  to  be  angry." 

"I  have  guessed  it,"  said  the  barber. 
"  These  few  hairs  of  your  beard  which  dis- 
figure your  glorious  face  and  insolently 
tickle  your  majestic  nose  and  lips  are  an- 
noying you.  O  Carinus,  have  them  re- 
moved !  Your  face  is  so  feminine  in  its 
73 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

beauty,  and  would  be  fairer  still  were  it 
not  injured  by  these  ugly  signs  of  man- 
hood!" 

"You  may  be  right,  Marcius,"  replied 
the  youth,  and  allowed  the  hairs  to  be 
plucked  out,  which  operation  was  per- 
formed by  the  barber  with  such  skill  that, 
at  its  close,  the  Caesar  appointed  him  pre- 
fect. 

At  the  same  moment  a  noise  was  heard 
outside  the  door.  Several  recognized  the 
voice  of  old  Mesembrius,  who  was  trying 
to  force  his  way  into  the  imperial  apart- 
ments. 

Galga,  the  gigantic  Thracian  doorkeep- 
er, held  the  old  man  back,  and  told  him  to 
come  the  next  day.  Carinus  was  asleep. 

"  This  is  the  tenth  time  I  have  come 
here!"  shouted  the  old  man.  "Once 
you  said  he  was  sleeping,  again  he  was 
eating,  the  third  time  he  was  bathing, 
and  the  fourth  he  was  not  at  leisure. 
But  I  will  speak  to  him." 
74 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

It  cost  Galga  a  hard  struggle  before  he 
could  force  the  aged  Senator  out  of  the 
atrium,  and  then  it  needed  two  or  three 
slaves  to  push  him  through  the  door. 
Carinus  was  much  pleased  with  Galga. 

"Since  you  know  how  to  guard  my 
door  so  well,  you  deserve  to  be  made 
Chancellor  of  Rome." 

"And  I?  Do  I  deserve  nothing,  my 
lord  ?  "  asked  ^Evius  in  alarm. 

"  To  you,  JEvius,  I  will  have  a  temple 
erected,  in  which  every  poet  shall  lay  his 
verses  upon  your  altar." 

"I  thank  you,  0  Augustus,  for  the 
temple  and  the  verses  of  beginners;  but 
my  Tusculum?" 

"  Surely  you  know  on  what  condition  I 
promised  it." 

"  If  by  the  power  of  my  eloquence,  the 
honey  of  my  tongue,  and  the  magic  of 
my  poetry,  I  induced  that  earthly  god- 
dess, Glyceria,  to  render  you  happy  by 
her  favor.  Did  I  not  bring  her  to  you? " 
75 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"  You  brought  her,  doubtless ;  but  what 
did  it  avail?  After  this  bewitching 
phantom  had  kindled  my  love  to  the  ut- 
most by  the  sight  of  her  charms,  and 
lured  my  secrets  from  me,  she  suddenly 
laughed  at  me,  thrust  me  from  her,  and 
left  me,  while  I  have  longed  for  her  pos- 
session a  hundred  times  more." 

"  Did  you  not  have  the  power  to  detain 
by  force  the  fair  demon  who  had  entered 
the  snare? " 

"  Ask  my  slaves  what  she  did  to  them  ? 
When  I  commanded  them  to  stop  the  ac- 
cursed enchantress  she  seized  a  goblet 
filled  with  wine,  muttered  a  few  strange 
words  of  incantation,  and  smoke  and 
flames  instantly  rose  from  the  cup.  Then, 
with  a  face  that  inspired  terror,  she 
turned  to  the  slaves,  crying  in  a  ringing 
voice :  '  Whoever  does  not  throw  himself 
on  the  floor,  and  remain  there  motionless, 
will  be  instantly  transformed  into  a  hog.' 
The  dolts  flung  themselves  down,  and  the 
76 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

bold  sorceress  walked  over  their  heads  to 
the  door,  where  she  blinded  Galga  so  that 
he  did  not  recover  his  sight  for  three 
days.  But,  O  ^Evius,  why  do  you  com- 
pel me  to  talk  so  much?  Why  do  you 
weary  my  thoughts  and  rob  my  tongue  of 
its  rest? " 

^vius  probably  thought  that  his  own 
tongue  was  not  so  valuable,  and  began  to 
babble :  "  Glorious  Carinus !  That  woman 
is  not  worthy  of  your  love,  but  of  your 
contempt.  I  have  discovered  a  far  more 
precious  treasure,  beside  whom  Glyceria 
is  a  pebblestone  beside  the  diamond,  a 
shooting  star  beside  the  sun,  common 
wine  beside  nectar." 

"Who  is  it?" 

"  The  former  is  a  virgin,  the  latter  al- 
ready a  widow.  The  former  has  not  yet 
loved  at  all ;  the  latter  has  learned  to  hate 
love,  and  the  former's  beauty  is  still  more 
marvellous.  She  is  a  Christian  maiden, 
who  was  captured  a  short  time  ago, 
77 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

thrown  by  your  order,  with  her  compan- 
ions, to  the  lions,  and  lo!  the  starved 
beasts  were  tamed  by  her  glance, 
crouched  caressingly  at  her  feet,  and 
licked  her  hands.  I  witnessed  this  with 
my  own  eyes,  0  Augustus,  and  was 
amazed.  The  guards  of  the  animal  cages 
took  the  girl  from  the  midst  of  the  lions, 
and  gave  her  to  the  fiercest  Illyrian  le- 
gionaries. And  what  happened?  An 
hour  after  these  very  soldiers  were  seen 
kneeling  before  her,  listening  with  devout 
fervour  to  the  words  of  magical  power 
which  fell  from  her  lips;  and  when  the 
tribunes  attempted  to  take  her  away  to 
deliver  her  to  others,  they  defended  her, 
and  allowed  themselves  to  be  slain  for  her 
to  the  last  man." 

Carinus  started  from  his  pillows  in 
great  excitement;  an  unwonted  fire 
glowed  in  his  eyes.  He  pushed  his  last 
wife  away  from  him  and  beckoned  to 
JEvius: 

78 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"  Let  this  girl  be  brought  before  me !  * 
The  poet  received  the  Caesar's  command 
with  deep  satisfaction,  and,  provided  with 
his  seal  ring,  hastened  directly  to  the 
prison. 


79 


CHAPTER   V. 

SOPHRONIA  had  been  locked  in  a  sepa- 
rate cell,  where  she  was  entirely  alone. 
The  sun  could  reach  her  only  through  a 
small  round  window,  and  when  it  shone 
upon  the  head  of  the  kneeling  maiden, 
the  halo  of  martyrdom  seemed  to  hover 
around  it. 

A  snow-white  robe,  fair  and  pure  as 
her  soul,  floated  around  her.  Her  face 
wore  an  expression  of  supernatural  repose, 
in  which  the  impress  of  resolution  alone 
betrayed  the  mortal. 

The  door  of  the  dungeon  opened  and  a 
tall,  stately  woman  entered,  slipping  a 
purse  of  gold  into  the  jailer's  hand  as  he 
left  it  ajar  behind  her. 

Sho  was  clad  in  a  heavy  silk  himation, 
fastened  on  the  shoulders  by  diamond 
80 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

mounted  fibulas;  a  costly  anadem  con- 
fined her  wealth  of  curls,  and  the  golden 
veil  hanging  below,  La  spite  of  the  deli- 
cacy of  its  texture,  completely  shrouded 
her  features.  The  draping  of  the  folds  of 
her  robe  showed  refined  taste,  and  the 
heavy  pearls  which  held  down  the  ends 
and  corners  indicated  the  high  rank  of  the 
wearer. 

Sophronia  looked  up  as  she  heard  the 
rustling  of  the  silk,  and  seeing  the 
stranger  standing  before  her,  asked  in  sur- 
prise: 

"  What  do  you  seek  here,  Roman? " 
The  lady  raised  her  veil,  revealing  a 
face  which  recalled  the  sublime  goddesses 
of  ancient  times ;  a  lofty  brow,  beautiful 
lips,  cheeks  in  whose  dimples  Cupids  were 
playing,  and  dark  eyes  with  the  deep,  in- 
describable expression  that  seems  to  con- 
ceal all  the  enigmas  of  feeling,  alluring 
charm  and  repellent  sadness  in  every  fea- 
ture— a  wonderful  play  of  sorrow  and 
6  81 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

sunshine  which  in  the  sky  is  called  a 
rainbow,  in  the  human  face  passion. 

At  the  first  moment  Sophronia  shrank 
back  at  the  sight  of  this  countenance,  but 
she  instantly  held  out  her  hand  with  a 
lovely  smile,  saying  kindly : 

"  Sister  Glyceria ! " 

"Do  not  give  me  your  hand,"  said  the 
lady  sadly.  "Do  not  embrace  me.  At 
the  first  instant  of  recognition  you  started 
back.  You  were  afraid  of  this  face,  and 
you  may  be  right.  It  is  four  years  since 
we  have  seen  each  other,  four  years  dur- 
ing which  you  have  heard  so  many  curses 
heaped  upon  me  by  revered  lips  that  you 
did  not  tremble  without  cause  when  you 
saw  my  features." 

."I  have  never  ceased  to  love  you." 

"  I  will  gladly  believe  it,  but  let  us  not 
speak  of  that.  Your  new  faith  teaches 
you  to  love  even  your  enemies.  Fate  has 
taught  me  to  renounce  all  whom  I  have 
loved.  But  that  is  well;  we  have  no 
82 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

time  to  indulge  in  lamentations  now.  I 
have  learned  that  the  games  in  the  circus 
to-morrow  will  be  closed  by  the  martyr- 
dom of  the  Christians  who  are  sentenced 
to  death." 

"Then  let  God's  will  be  done,"  said  So- 
phronia,  clasping  her  hands  on  her  bosom. 

"No,  this  shall  not  be  done!  Twice 
already  I  have  tried  to  release  you,  but  I 
came  too  late;  to-day  I  am  in  time. 
Change  clothes  with  me ;  put  on  my  veil. 
Your  figure  is  like  mine ;  no  one  will  no- 
tice the  difference.  A  trustworthy  slave 
is  waiting  outside  with  horses.  In  an 
hour  you  can  be  clasped  in  the  arms  of 
your  father  and  your  lover." 

Glyceria  closed  her  eyes  sadly,  crush- 
ing hot  tears  with  their  lids,  as  if  she 
had  said:  "My  father,  my  lover!  " 

"And  you? "  asked  Sophronia. 

"I  shall  stay  here." 

"  And  the  games  in  the  circus  to-mor- 
row?" 

83 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"Will  be  closed  with  me." 

"  Never ! "  said  Sophronia,  filled  with 
lofty  self-sacrifice. 

"Why  never?  Those  who  hate  me 
love  you,  and  how  gladly  I  would  give 
years  of  my  life  to  win  a  smile  from  their 
lips.  If  one  of  us  must  die,  why  should 
it  be  you,  whose  loss  will  plunge  them 
into  despair?  Why  not  rather  I,  whose 
death  they  would  bless?  You  will  pre- 
serve a  happy  life  for  others ;  I  shall  cast 
from  me  a  wretched  one." 

Sophronia  clasped  her  sister's  hands  in 
both  her  own,  and  gazed  with  her  pure 
eyes  deep  into  Glyceria's  troubled,  sor- 
rowful ones. 

"You  were  the  woman  who,  on  the 
night  I  was  captured,  offered  me  her  horse 
to  escape? " 

"Why  do  you  speak  of  that? " 

"Do  you  remember  my  answer? " 

"You  said  that  a  Christian  ought  not 
to  fly  from  danger." 
84 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"  Since  then  I  have  seen  death  in  many 
forms,  and  I  repeat  it.  If  it  is  God's  will 
that  His  name  shall  be  praised  by  my 
martyrdom,  let  His  will  be  done.  I  will 
accept  with  rapture  the  crown  of  thorns 
that  encircled  the  Saviour's  brow,  and 
bless  the  hand  which  opens  the  door  of 
salvation  to  me.  Oh,  death  means  no  tor- 
ture to  those  whose  joys  begin  after  it  is 
over." 

"  But  those  whom  you  would  leave  be- 
hind?" 

"They  will  see  me  again  beyond  the 
grave." 

"To  which  despair  will  bring  them. 
0  Sophronia,  listen.  Two  human  be- 
ings who  execrate  me  are  now  praying  for 
you.  If  you  die  this  terrible  death,  you 
will  not  meet  them  in  the  other  world, 
for  the  horrors  of  life  will  hunt  them 
down  to  Hades.  Oh,  let  me  die,  let  me 
be  forgotten,  wept  by  no  one,  blessed  by 
no  one,  missed  by  no  one.  Let  your 
85 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

grey-haired  father  have  two  joys  in  a  sin- 
gle day — my  death  and  your  life." 

"A  heart  so  embittered  is  not  fit  for 
death,  0  Glyceria !  " 

"Do  you  suppose  I  could  not  look  it 
calmly  in  the  face?  " 

rtBut  not  rapturously.  To  the  Chris- 
tian death  is  a  new  world;  to  the  unbe- 
liever an  eternal  darkness." 

"  May  this  darkness  embrace  me.  Life 
only  oppresses  me  like  a  burden.  I  do 
not  desire  to  live  again,  but  wish  to  pass 
away,  to  be  forgotten,  to  rest  undisturbed 
in  a  silent  grave.  I  want  to  leave  this 
brilliant  chaos,  whose  sole  reality  is  pain. 
But  may  you  lead  a  long  and  happy  life." 

"O  Glyceria,  why  should  your  face 
become  so  gloomy  ?  " 

"  Is  it  not  true  that  once  there  was  not 
so  great  a  difference  between  us?  My 
soul  was  as  radiant,  my  face  as  bright  as 
yours.  We  were  so  much  alike  that  even 
our  father  could  scarcely  distinguish  us. 
86 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

Nay,  the  object  of  our  love  was  the  same, 
and  we  did  not  conceal  this  from  each 
other,  but  agreed  that  if  he  chose  one, 
the  other  would  silently  resign  him." 

"  Ah,  if  he  had  only  taken  you !  Then 
we  might  both  be  happy. " 

"It  was  not  my  fate,  O  sister!  The 
gods  had  not  so  decreed.  Unknown, 
mysterious  hands  tangle  the  threads  of 
human  destiny,  and  guide  them  harshly 
through  life.  So  who  ought  to  be  called 
to  account  for  the  soul?  The  man  whose 
wife  I  became  was  a  pitiful  libertine,  who 
appeared  just  at  the  time  Manlius  decided 
in  your  favour,  and  by  producing  a  docu- 
ment which  contained  proof  that  our 
father  was  connected  with  a  conspiracy 
against  Carinus,  forced  me  to  become  his 
wife." 

"And  therefore  my  father  cursed  you." 

"May  he  never  recall  his  curse.  It 
has  been  fulfilled.  This  venal  slave  lost 
his  head  when  the  Caesar  saw  me.  From 
87 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

that  moment  my  life  was  a  perpetual 
warfare,  whose  weapons  were  flattery  and 
seduction.  I  had  to  defend  my  father  con- 
stantly. All  the  men  who  breathe  here 
are  his  foes !  The  Csssar  hates  him  be- 
cause he  will  not  flatter  him ;  the  cour- 
tiers hate  him  because  he  is  a  man  of 
honour;  the  people  hate  him  because  he  is 
rich;  every  criminal  hates  him  because 
here  virtue  is  considered  a  conspiracy 
against  sin.  I  was  forced  to  conquer  all 
Kome,  from  the  Caesar  to  the  plebeian, 
that  I  might  save  the  grey  hairs  on  my 
father's  head.  I  attended  the  Imperator's 
orgies.  I  allowed  myself  to  be  applauded 
in  the  amphitheatre  by  the  dregs  of  the 
people,  and  to  be  flattered  by  base  cour- 
tiers. And  how  often  I  have  torn  up 
Mesembrius's  death  sentence  after  I  suc- 
ceeded, half  by  cajolery,  half  by  force,  in 
wresting  it  from  the  hands  of  spies,  dem- 
agogues, senators,  lictors,  and  even  those 
of  the  Csesar  himself !  " 
88 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"And  this  brought  you  my  father's 
curses." 

"He  was  right.  It  was  contemptible 
in  the  daughter  of  a  Roman  patrician. 
Oh,  he  must  never  know  it.  If  he  should 
learn  that  he  lived  at  such  a  cost,  he  would 
kill  himself." 

"You  also  discovered  that  the  hiding 
place  of  my  fellow-believers  was  betrayed, 
and  hastened  there  in  advance  of  the  oth- 


"  I  informed  Manlius  of  it  two  days  be- 
fore, but  he  shrank  from  entering  my 
house.  Now  there  is  no  other  way  of  es- 
cape save  the  one  I  offer,  and  thus  fate 
will  be  best  satisfied.  She  who  merits 
death  and  desires  it  will  die,  and  those 
who  enjoy  life  and  deserve  it  will  be 
happy.  That  is  right.  Return  to  your 
father  and  to  Manlius,  Sophronia,  and 
then  go  far,  far  away  from  here." 


89 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SOPHRONIA,  sobbing,  threw  her  arms 
around  her  sister's  neck.  In  rapid  alter- 
nations of  feeling  the  shining  vision  of  a 
happy  life  passed  before  her  mind.  She 
saw  her  loving  old  father  who  guarded 
her  so  anxiously  from  every  breath  of  air ; 
she  saw  the  youth  whose  pure  love  prom- 
ised her  long  years  of  joy  in  the  future. 
The  girl's  strength  of  mind  vanished  be- 
fore this  alluring  picture,  and  she  sank  on 
the  bosom  of  her  sister,  who,  with  a  brave 
though  sad  face,  clasped  her  in  her  arms 
as  a  mythological  goddess  of  war  would 
embrace  an  angel  that  belonged  to  the 
realms  of  another  deity. 

"Hasten  hence,"  she  said,  throwing  her 
ample  himation  around  her  sister's  shoul- 
ders, and  fastening  the  golden  balteus 
about  her  hips.  "You  can  follow  my 
90 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

slave  safely.  No  one  will  notice  the  ex- 
change, especially  amid  the  noisy  tumult 
of  the  circus." 

"No,  I  cannot  accept  this  sacrifice," 
cried  Sophronia,  struggling  with  her  own 
heart.  "God  forbids  it." 

"Your  God  is  the  God  of  Love,"  said 
Glyceria.  "  If  on  account  of  this  God  of 
Love  you  will  not  save  yourself,  I  swear 
that  this  day  shall  long  be  mentioned  by 
the  world  as  a  day  of  horrors.  I  know 
all  the  formulas,  before  which  the  beings 
of  darkness  tremble,  at  whose  utterance 
the  solid  earth  is  shaken  and  blazing 
comets  dash  across  the  sky,  sending  down 
pestilences  upon  the  living.  If  you  sac- 
rifice yourself  to  your  God,  I  will  sacrifice 
Rome  to  mine,  and  will  destroy  it  so  ut- 
terly that  the  centuries  will  find  only 
fragments  of  its  royal  purple." 

The  pallid  girl  trembled  in  her  frown- 
ing sister's  arms. 

The  latter  now  quietly  fastened  the 
91 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

anadem  she  had  taken  from  her  head  in 
her  sister's  hair,  and  drew  her  veil  over 
her  face. 

"There,  now  you  are  safe.  If  you  are 
asked  who  rescued  you,  say  that  it  was  a 
stranger.  I  wish  to  cause  no  one  sorrow. 
Never  mention  my  name." 

The  weeping  girl  embraced  her  sister, 
from  whom  she  could  not  bear  to  part. 
Glyceria  herself  urged  her  away : 

"Go,  hasten.  Do  not  kiss  me;  it  is 
not  well  to  kiss  me.  Destruction  is  on 
my  lips." 

Yet  Sophronia  did  kiss  her,  and  at  the 
same  instant  ^Evius  entered  with  the 
guards  who  accompanied  him. 

"  We  are  betrayed !  "  shrieked  Glyceria, 
placing  herself  before  her  sister  to  pro- 
tect her.  Then,  with  savage  fury,  she 
cried :  "  Who  sent  you  to  this  place,  mis- 
erable sycophant?  You  have  made  a 
mistake ;  this  is  a  prison,  not  a  baccha- 
nalian revel." 

92 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

*  It  is  a  golden  cage,  in  which  I  find 
two  doves  instead  of  one." 

"Put  your  insipid  jests  into  rhyme, 
but  spare  me  their  tasteless  folly.  And 
now,  go ! " 

"Very  willingly  if  you  will  come  with 
me;  but  the  Augustus  sent  me  here." 

Glyceria  hastily  whispered  to  Sophro- 
nia :  "  Do  not  betray  that  you  are  my  sis- 
ter, or  our  father  is  lost,  too." 

Then  she  turned  to  the  soldiers. 

" Insolent  knaves !  Do  you  know  me? 
I  am  the  terrible  Glyceria  who  sends 
down  a  rain  of  fire  upon  you  when  you 
are  in  camp,  who  makes  the  rivers  over- 
flow their  banks  before  you,  and  in  the 
midst  of  summer  brings  winter  upon  your 
bands  so  that  you  are  swept  away  like 
flies?  Do  you  no  longer  remember  Triv- 
ius,  whom  in  my  wrath  I  transformed 
into  a  stag,  and  did  not  restore  his  human 
form  until  the  hounds  had  torn  him? 
Did  you  see  before  my  palace  the  flesh- 
93 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

colored  caryatides,  who  keep  guard  before 
my  door  and  seem  to  follow  every  passer- 
by with  their  eyes?  They  were  slaves 
who  disobeyed  me,  and  whom  with  a  sin- 
gle breath  I  transformed  to  stone.  Do 
you  wish  to  be  fixed  to  these  walls  as 
statues,  or  changed  into  wild  beasts  to 
rend  one  another  to-morrow  in  the  am- 
phitheatre ?  Which  of  you  dares  to  raise 
his  hand;  which  of  you  will  bar  my 
way?" 

The  soldiers  shrank  back  in  supersti- 
tious terror.  JEvius  alone  stepped  before 
her. 

"Divinely  beautiful  woman,  it  would 
be  useless  trouble  to  transform  these  fel- 
lows to  brutes.  You  ought  rather  to 
change  my  heart  into  stone,  that  it  may 
have  no  feeling  for  you.  But  now  permit 
me  to  conduct  this  Christian  maiden  to 
the  Caesar,  who  will  gladly  see  you  the 
next  time,  but  now  desires  to  behold  her. 
Though  you  should  vouchsafe  to  wreak 
94 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

your  utmost  wrath  upon  my  innocent 
head,  I  can  do  nothing  else.  My  head 
and  my  heart  are  at  your  service,  but  Ca- 
rinus  has  commanded  my  hands  to  bring 
this  maiden  before  him." 

Glyceria  whispered  impetuously  to  her 
pale-faced  sister: 

"Now  a  greater  horror  than  death 
awaits  you.  But  be  strong.  Under  the 
lalteus  which  I  fastened  around  you  is  a 
sharp  dagger.  You  are  a  Roman ;  I  need 
say  no  more." 

She  pressed  Sophronia's  hand  as  she 
spoke,  and  without  vouchsafing  ^Evius 
another  glance,  hastened  through  the 
ranks  of  the  soldiers,  who  swiftly  made 
way  for  her. 


95 


CHAPTER  VII. 

TEEMBLING  with  horror,  Sophronia 
stood  on  the  threshold  of  Carinus'  apart- 
ment. 

The  spectacle  before  her  seemed  to  her 
eyes  more  terrible  than  the  torture  cham- 
bers of  the  prison  and  the  dens  of  the 
wild  beasts. 

Drunken  slaves  lay  on  the  floor,  sing- 
ing and  touching  goblets  with  drunken 
senators;  men,  rouged  and  clad  in  wo- 
men's garments,  were  singing  to  the  ac- 
companiment of  harps  indecent  dithy- 
rambics,  while  they  had  twined  the  fem- 
inine anadem  upon  their  heads  with  oak 
leaves,  the  simple  ornament  of  civic 
virtue.  The  most  prominent  magistrates, 
consuls,  prefects,  tribunes,  disguised  as 
fauns  and  satyrs,  were  dancing  with  girls 


96 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

and  eyes  were  glowing  with  the  unholy 
fires  of  sensual  passion ;  and  in  the  midst 
of  this  diabolical  revel  lay  Carinus,  him- 
self the  greatest  disgrace  of  his  own  im- 
perial purple.  The  effect  of  the  wine 
and  the  emotions  roused  by  the  scenes  of 
this  orgy  were  visible  on  his  face;  his 
hair  was  dripping  with  the  perfumed 
salves  that  had  been  rubbed  into  it. 

Sophronia  shuddered  at  this  scene, 
which,  wherever  she  turned  her  eyes, 
showed  the  same  figures ;  and  for  the  first 
time  in  her  life  she  forgot  to  call  upon 
the  name  of  God,  who  is  always  nearest 
when  the  danger  is  greatest.  But  who 
could  think  of  God's  presence  where  the 
devil's  altars  are  erected? 

In  trembling  terror  the  Christian 
maiden  seized  her  gold  balteus,  as  it  were 
from  instinct,  without  remembering  her 
sister's  hint.  But  no  sooner  did  she  feel 
the  hilt  of  the  dagger  in  her  hand  than 
she  regained  her  strength  of  soul.  In  an 
97 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

instant  she  was  once  more  the  brave,  res- 
olute Eoman,  and  without  waiting  to  be 
led,  she  passed  boldly  through  the  cir- 
cling dancers,  and  with  her  tall  figure 
drawn  up  to  its  full  height,  stood  proudly 
before  Carinus. 

"  Is  it  you  whom  they  call  in  Rome  the 
Augustus?"  she  asked  with  infinite 
contempt. 

Carinus,  smiling,  raised  himself  on  his 
couch,  and  motioned  to  the  noisy  revel- 
lers to  be  quiet. 

"  Since  when  has  the  word  '  Augustus ' 
in  the  Eoman  tongue  meant  shame  and 
loathsomeness?"  Sophronia  boldly  con- 
tinued, gazing  defiantly  at  Carinus. 
"What  accursed  destiny  sent  you  to 
Rome  to  gather  around  you  everything 
that  is  abominable,  everything  that  is 
accursed,  and  bring  to  sovereignty  the 
sins  transmitted  to  you  from  the  temples 
of  your  gods?  Do  you  not  feel  the  trem- 
bling of  the  earthquake  under  your  feet ; 
98 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

do  you  not  hear  the  muttering  of  heaven's 
thunder?  Does  not  the  roar  of  millions 
of  approaching  barbarians  rouse  you  from 
your  slumber,  that  you  may  learn  that 
you  are  not  the  lord,  but  only  dust  upon 
the  earth,  which  at  a  single  breath  of  God 
will  pass  away  and  become  the  dust 
which  buries  you? " 

Carinus  turned  to  ^Evius,  saying: 
"By  Paphia,  you  did  not  deceive  me. 
This  is  a  wonderful  creature.  There, 
there,  beautiful  maiden,  rage  on,  be 
wrathful ;  upbraiding  only  heightens  your 
beauty,  and  the  more  you  reproach  me  the 
more  ardent  my  love  becomes." 

"You  will  repent  some  day  amid 
eternal  flames !  Above  you  is  throned 
an  invisible  God,  who  reads  the  thoughts 
of  your  heart ;  and  as  you  now  see  laugh- 
ing faces  around  you,  you  will  behold  on 
the  Day  of  Judgment  features  tortured 
and  distorted  by  pain,  and  you  yourself 
will  not  be  otherwise. " 
99 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"  By  the  Pantheon !  This  figure  is  still 
lacking  in  the  ranks  of  the  gods.  ^Evius, 
bring  a  sculptor.  Build  a  temple,  place 
the  statue  of  this  goddess  in  it,  and  call 
her  Venus  lellatrix" 

An  artist  belonging  to  the  court  in- 
stantly pressed  forward,  seized  a  stylus 
and  waxed  paper,  and  Sophronia,  with 
chaste  indignation,  perceived  that  while 
^Evius  was  turning  her  indignant  words 
into  rhyme,  the  sculptor  was  trying 
to  catch  the  movements  of  her  superb 
figure. 

The  young  girl  instantly  stopped  speak- 
ing ;  not  another  word  did  she  utter,  not 
a  feature  of  her  face  moved. 

"Hasten  your  work,  Sextus,  if  you 
wish  to  sketch  the  Venus  bellatriz,"  said 
Carinus.  "  In  an  hour  this  figure  will  be 
Venus  victa* 

As  he  spoke,  he  glided  nearer  to  the 
girl  like  a  hungry  serpent,  and  fixed  his 
eyes  greedily  upon  her  face. 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

Sophronia  stood  cold  and  motionless  as 
a  statue. 

"Well,  why  do  you  not  continue  to 
rage?  Be  furious!  It  increases  the 
rapture  that  fills  my  heart  a  hundred- 
fold ;  rave,  curse,  blaspheme.  I  will  kiss 
and  embrace  you,  and  be  frantic  with 
bliss." 

The  patrician's  daughter  made  no  re- 
ply; not  a  feature  stirred. 

"  Ah,  do  you  seek  to  chill  me  by  the 
coldness  of  your  face?  You  doubtless 
perceived  that  the  flush  of  shame  which 
crimsoned  it,  the  flames  of  your  wrath 
were  joy  to  me,  and  now,  merely  to  rob 
me  of  my  sweetest  pleasure,  you  choose 
to  behave  as  if  shame  and  anger  had 
vanished  from  your  cheeks?  Slaves,  tear 
the  garments  from  her  limbs !  " 

Sophronia  silently  drew  the  dagger 
from  beneath  her  girdle,  and  looked  fear- 
lessly around  the  circle  of  faces. 

Carinus  remained  fixed  in  the  attitude 
101 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

in  which  this  unexpected  movement  had 
surprised  him.  Every  one  stood  still  as 
if  spellbound.  ^Evius  alone  did  not  lose 
his  presence  of  mind.  With  a  smooth 
smile  on  his  false  lips,  he  glided  nearer 
to  the  maiden. 

"  Fairest  virgin,  do  not  forget  that  you 
are  a  Christian.  Your  God  punishes 
sternly  those  who  open  the  gates  of  death 
by  force;  and  your  religion  regards  it  a 
sin  to  kill  yourself  or  any  other  mortal, 
while  it  requires  you  to  endure  whatever 
God  has  decreed,  whether  it  be  death  by 
torture  or  an  hour  of  bliss  in  the  arms  of 
the  Caesar.  Do  not  forget  that  you  are  a 
Christian,  and  that  many  Christian  wo- 
men have  borne  this  form  of  martyrdom 
before  you." 

The  drawn  dagger  trembled  in  Sophro- 
nia's  hand. 

^Evius  moved  a  step  nearer. 

"Kemember  that  you  are  a  Christian," 
he  said,  casting  a  swift  glance  at  the 


A  Christian   but  a  Roman. 

dagger  to  wrest  it  by  a  bold  spring  from 
the  maiden's  hand. 

"  But  I  am  also  a  Roman  1"  cried  So- 
phronia,  as  she  recalled  her  sister's  words ; 
and  with  the  speed  of  lightning  she 
buried  the  steel  in  her  heart. 

The  blow  was  dealt  with  a  sure  hand, 
and  the  blade  pierced  the  strong  heart  to 
its  hilt.  The  Roman  prized  her  honour 
more  than  her  salvation. 

The  next  instant  she  sank  dying  on  the 
floor,  composing  the  folds  of  her  garments 
with  her  last  strength,  that  even  in  death 
she  might  not  betray  the  grace  of  her 
figure  to  unholy  eyes. 


103 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

MEANWHILE  the  father  and  the  be- 
trothed husband  vainly  sought  the  maid- 
en. They  could  search  only  in  secret: 
open  protection,  undisguised  defense 
could  not  be  given  to  Sophronia. 

Old  Mesembrius  had  not  been  seen  in 
Eome  for  a  long  time,  and  therefore 
every  one  was  surprised  when  the  distin- 
guished patrician  again  appeared  in  the 
Forum,  leaning  on  his  ivory  crutches  and 
pausing  at  every  step. 

"Ah,  worthy  Senator,  you  rarely  show 
yourself  in  Eome,"  said  a  perfumed 
patrician  dandy.  "Since  the  death  of 
Probus  we  have  not  seen  you  even 
once. " 

"  I  am  old  and  feeble,  my  good  Pom- 
peius.  My  feet  will  scarcely  carry  me, 
104 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

and  I  should  not  have  recognised  you  had 
you  not  spoken  to  me,  for  my  eyes  are  al- 
most blind." 

"  But  why  do  you  not  live  in  Eome  ?  " 

"  If  you  should  see  the  splendid  turnips 
I  raise  in  my  garden,  you  surely  would 
not  summon  me  to  Rome.  An  old  man 
like  me  interests  himself  only  in  his 
apricot  slips." 

At  this  moment  a  messenger  from  the 
Capitol  whispered  to  Pompeius : 

"  Carinus  has  laid  aside  the  purple  in 
favor  of  his  brother  Numerian. " 

Mesembrius  sometimes  heard  so  well 
that  he  caught  the  faintest  murmur. 

"  What  did  you  say  ? "  he  eagerly  ex- 
claimed. "Carinus  has  abdicated,  and 
Numerian  will  be  Imperator?  Huzza! 
Huzza!" 

"  Do  you  know  Numerian  ?  What  kind 
of  a  man  is  he? "  asked  the  courtiers  anx- 
iously. 

"  What  kind  of  a  man?  He  is  a  hero, 
105 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

a  Roman,  under  whose  rule  Eome's  gold- 
en age  will  begin  again  and  the  sun  of 
fame  will  again  shine  upon  us.  The  glo- 
rious battles  which  Eome  fought  against 
half  the  world  Numerian  will  continue. 
We  will  all  share  them.  A  new  and  ra- 
diant epoch  is  dawning.  I  will  swing 
myself  upon  my  charger  and  be  where 
every  man  of  honour  must  appear.  I  am 
not  yet  too  old  to  die  in  battle !  " 

The  old  man,  frantic  with  joy,  was 
gesticulating  enthusiastically,  without 
thinking  of  his  crutches,  and  recognised 
an  acquaintance  coming  from  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Capitol  at  a  distance  of  a  hun- 
dred paces.  This  was  Quaterquartus,  the 
augur. 

"You  are  from  the  Capitol,  Quater- 
quartus? Well!  Well!  What  is  the 
news  ? " 

"What  I  predicted,"  replied  the  augur 
with  dignity.  "The  Senate  would  not 
accept  the  abdication,  and  compelled  the 
106 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

immortal  Carinus  to  continue  to  wear  the 
purple. " 

Mesembrius  was  obliged  to  lean  on  his 
crutches  again. 

"  Oh,  my  poor  feet !  Oh,  this  terrible 
gout  in  my  knees !  Foolish  old  man  that 
I  am;  what  have  I  been  saying?  I 
swing  myself  on  a  horse  ?  If  I  could  at 
least  sit  comfortably  in  my  wheel-chair ! 
Such  a  foolish  old  fellow !  How  could  I 
go  to  war  when  I  see  so  badly  that  I  can- 
not distinguish  friend  from  foe?  Laugh 
at  me,  my  dear  friends ;  laugh  at  such  a 
silly  old  man.  Oh,  my  feet — — " 

And,  groaning  painfully,  he  dragged 
himself  forward.  Then  Manlius  met  him. 

"Have  you  learned  anything?"  he 
asked. 

"To-morrow  I  will  force  myself  into 
Carinus's  presence.  And  you? " 

"I  will  seek  Glyceria." 

"That  you  may  kill  her  ere  she  can 
speak." 

107 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"  Have  no  anxiety.  Even  if  she  could 
use  magic  arts,  she  would  die.  We  will 
meet  in  Carinus's  atrium  to-morrow.  Be 
provided  with  a  good  sword." 

Manlius  went  to  the  Pons  Sacer. 

Before  the  statue  of  Triton  sat  the  old 
woman  who  had  given  him  the  ring. 
When  she  saw  Manlius  she  rose  and  went 
to  meet  him. 

"Have  you  the  ring  with  you,  my 
lord?"  she  asked. 

"Look  at  it." 

"Will  you  go  with  me?  * 

"That  is  the  purpose  of  my  coming 
here." 

"I  have  waited  for  you  four  days. 
Why  did  you  not  appear  sooner? " 

"Pleasure  never  comes  too  late,"  re- 
plied Manlius  bitterly,  and  allowed  him- 
self to  be  conducted  through  gardens, 
byways,  and  covered  passages  till  his 
guide  opened  a  small  bronze  gate,  and 
1 08 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

taking  him  by  the  hand,  led  him  through 
a  dark  corridor  into  a  circular  hall, 
adorned  with  pillars  and  lighted  by  a  sin- 
gle round  window  above. 

Here  the  old  woman  left  him  and  went 
to  summon  her  mistress. 

Manlius  looked  around  him.  He  had 
imagined  the  apartment  of  a  Roman  lady 
an  entirely  different  room.  He  had  ex- 
pected to  see  jasper  columns,  garlanded 
with  climbing  plants,  fountains  perfumed 
with  rose  water,  representations  of  friv- 
olous love  scenes,  an  atmosphere  saturated 
with  heavy  fragrance,  purple  couches,  and 
silver  mirrors,  and  instead  he  found  him- 
self in  a  lofty,  noble,  temple-like  hall, 
whose  walls  were  adorned  with  masterly 
pictures  of  battles  and  heroes,  while  in 
the  centre  stood  the  marble  bust  of  a 
bald-headed  old  man. 

"  Perhaps  Glyceria  does  not  even  live 
here,"  he  thought,  and  just  at  that  mo- 
ment heard  his  name  uttered  behind  him. 
109 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

He  turned.  Before  him  stood  a  pale, 
slender  woman,  in  a  simple  snow-white 
robe,  whose  folds  concealed  her  figure 
up  to  her  chin  and  covered  her  arms  to 
the  wrists.  This  was  not  the  alluring 
costume  that  suited  a  love  adventure. 
The  face  was  still  less  seductive.  Deep, 
despairing,  consuming  grief,  that  blight 
of  beauty,  was  expressed  in  every  feature. 
Manlius  recognised  Glyceria.  His 
blood  rushed  feverishly  to  his  temples, 
and  he  convulsively  clutched  the  hilt  of 
his  sword.  Yet  he  did  not  wish  to  kill 
her  thus.  He  thought  that  this,  too,  was 
only  a  new  variety  of  the  arts  of  tempta- 
tion in  which  women  are  such  adepts. 
When  a  libertine  is  to  be  attracted,  the 
graces  are  called  to  aid ;  if  it  is  a  hero, 
Minerva  must  be  summoned  to  help. 
Clothes,  moods,  will  correspond  with  the 
character  of  the  chosen  individual ;  nay, 
even  the  features  will  be  altered  so  that 
they  will  appear  different  to  every  one. 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

He  could  not  kill  her  while  she  looked  so 
sad ;  he  must  await  the  moment  when  she 
began  to  speak  to  him  of  her  love  to 
thrust  his  sword  into  her  heart  at  the 
first  yearning  smile. 

Pausing  with  drooping  head,  three 
paces  from  Manlius,  the  lady  faltered  al- 
most too  low  for  him  to  hear: 

"  You  have  come  late.     Very  late. " 

Manlius,  with  suppressed  fury,  an- 
swered : 

"  Is  love  a  fruit  that  becomes  overripe 
if  it  waits  long?" 

Glyceria  looked  at  Manlius  in  horror. 

"What  is  the  matter  with  you  that 
you  speak  to  me  of  love  ? " 

"Did  you  not  summon  me  that  we 
might  whisper  together  of  rapture,  bliss, 
and  sweet  delights  ? " 

"Once  your  words  would  have  given 
me  pleasure ;  now  horror  seizes  me  when 
you  speak  in  this  way." 

"Are  you  not  convinced  that  your 
lit 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

beauty  has  such  magic  power  that  every 
man  who  beholds  you  forgets  every  wo- 
man he  has  ever  seen  ? "  replied  Manlius, 
half  drawing  his  sword  from  its  sheath. 

Glyceria  looked  into  the  youth's  face 
as  though  she  were  gazing  into  impene- 
trable darkness,  and  asked: 

"  Even  the  one  who  is  lying  dead  at 
this  moment?  " 

Manlius  started  back,  his  breath  failed, 
his  face  grew  corpselike  in  its  pallor. 
He  strove  to  pronounce  Sophronia's  name, 
but  his  lips  would  not  form  the  word,  and 
staggering  back,  he  was  obliged  to  lean 
against  a  pillar. 

Glyceria  went  toward  him,  her  staring 
eyes  fixed  upon  his  face  as  if  she  wished 
to  read  his  inmost  soul. 

"  Manlius  Sinister !  "  she  said  calmly. 
"My  dreams  have  told  me  that  you 
will  kill  me,  and  I  know  that  the  hand 
beneath  your  chlamys  is  clutching  your 
sword-hilt.  That  will  be  no  grief  to  me. 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

My  anguish  is  that  you  see  in  me  your 
promised  wife's  murderess." 

Manlius  sighed  heavily,  and  a  secret 
shudder  shook  his  whole  frame.  In  a 
voice  that  seemed  to  come  from  the  grave, 
he  asked: 

"  How  was  she  killed  ?  Was  she  torn 
by  wild  beasts?  Or  did  greedy  flames 
devour  her  tender  body  ?  Speak,  Hetaera. 
Tell  me  clearly  and  minutely  how  she 
was  tortured  to  death.  I  will  hear." 

"  She  was  not  dragged  to  the  scenes  of 
torture,  but  to  Carinus'  orgies." 

"Ah!"  shrieked  Manlius  in  unuttera- 
ble fury,  covering  his  face.  Then,  re- 
moving his  hands,  he  said  quietly :  "  Go 
on ;  omit  nothing.  Describe  step  by  step 
the  outrage,  and  in  what  way  my  idol 
was  dragged  through  the  mire.  Speak !  " 

"Nothing  of  that  kind  happened.  A 
Roman  woman,  who  wished  to  rescue  her, 
exchanged  garments  with  her  in  the  pris- 
on ;  and  when  this  plan  was  baffled,  she 
113 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

concealed  a  dagger  in  Sophronia's  girdle 
and  the  girl  killed  herself  before  any 
man's  hand  touched  her." 

Tears  streamed  from  the  young  sol- 
dier's eyes;  his  sword  fell  from  his 
hand. 

"  Ye  gods,  bless  that  Eoman  woman  for 
the  sake  of  the  dagger.  Do  you  not 
know  who  it  was  ?  " 

"She  does  not  wish  you  to  be  told." 

Manlius  drew  a  long  breath,  as  if  re- 
lieved from  a  heavy  burden. 

"I  thank  you  for  these  tidings." 

There  was  something  terrible  in  this 
gratitude. 

"The  danger  is  not  yet  over,"  Glyceria 
began  again.  "Carinus,  whose  pallid 
face  was  sprinkled  with  the  martyr's 
blood,  sank  back  upon  his  couch  half 
fainting,  and  through  his  trembling  soul 
flashed  the  thought:  If  a  woman  could 
die  in  this  way,  how  will  her  father  or 
her  promised  husband — kill!  No  one 
"4 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

knew  Sophronia;  but  my  father's  pres- 
ence in  Eome  has  already  attracted  atten- 
tion, and  although  he  makes  no  public 
search,  people  are  beginning  to  suspect 
that  the  dead  girl  was  his  daughter.  You 
will  both  be  summoned  before  Carinus  to- 
morrow ;  he  will  ask  if  you  can  recognise 
a  dead  woman  who  was  found  murdered 
in  the  Christians'  prison,  and  Sophronia 
will  be  shown  to  you.  Be  hard-hearted 
at  that  moment,  Manlius ;  let  no  tears  fill 
your  eyes  when  you  behold  this  corpse. 
Say  that  you  do  not  know  it,  wear  an  in- 
different face ;  for  if  you  betray  yourself, 
you  will  lose  your  head." 

"  I  am  to  wear  an  indifferent  face,"  said 
Manlius,  with  dilated  eyes,  "  and  not  rec- 
ognise her  when  she  lies  dead  before  me  ? 
I  am  to  say  that  I  have  never  seen  her? " 

"Do  you  imagine  that  Carinus  would 
suffer  a  man  to  live  whose  promised  wife 
had  killed  herself  on  the  Caesar's  ac- 
count? " 

"5 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"You  are  right,"  said  the  knight,  bit- 
terly. "Manlius  will  learn  to  dissimu- 
late." 

He  burst  into  a  terrible  laugh. 

Glyceria  sank  on  her  knees  before  him, 
and  offering  him  her  beautiful  bosom, 
stammered,  sighing: 

"And  now — take  your  sword — begin 
with  me." 

Manlius  smiled. 

*  So  your  dreams  have  predicted  that  I 
shall  kill  you?  You  are  beautiful,  Gly- 
ceria; really  marvellously  beautiful.  Is  it 
true,  as  people  say,  that  Carinus  loves 
you  ardently  ? " 

"Still  more  ardently  do  I  hate  him. 
Why  do  you  ask?" 

"Because  I  should  like  to  know 
whether  you  have  ever  rendered  Carinus 
happy  by  your  favour?  " 

"Never  even  with  a  smile." 

"And  yet  he  would  gladly  give  years 
of  his  life  for  a  single  night  with  you." 
1x6 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"  Ah,  by  Styx !  If  I  should  grant  him 
a  night,  it  would  be  an  eternal  one ! " 
cried  Glyceria,  drawing  herself  to  her  full 
height  while  her  face  crimsoned. 

Manlius  went  up  to  her  and  clasped  her 
hand. 

"Now  you  see,  Glyceria,  that  your 
dreams  deceived  you,  for  I  shall  not  kill 
you.  No,  I  shall  not  kill  you,  but  will 
make  you  my  wife." 

Glyceria  drew  back  her  hand  in  hor- 
ror. 

"  Manlius,  this  is  mockery,  and  bitterer 
than  death." 

"No,  it  is  only  love.     I  love  you." 

"Manlius,  do  not  kill  me  thus,  not 
thus.  Rather  with  the  sharp  sword. " 

"  I  love  you.  If  I  loved  your  sister,  I 
now  see  her  features  in  your  face ;  and 
when  grief  for  her  loss  tortures  me,  I 
must  fly  to  you  to  find  consolation.  I  do 
not  believe  aught  of  all  the  world  says  of 
you ;  I  will  take  the  past  from  you  and 
117 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

make  you  what  your  sister  has  been.  I 
will  lead  you  back  to  your  father,  and  he 
will  bestow  upon  you  the  blessing  he 
gave  your  sister.  I  will  endow  you  with 
everything  that  was  her  property.  You 
will  wear  her  simple  garments  and  even 
assume  her  name,  and  I  will  call  you  my 
Sophronia." 

Glyceria,  trembling  violently,  escaped 
from  the  youth's  arms  as  he  drew  her 
toward  him  with  gentle  violence,  and 
with  glowing  cheeks  and  panting  bosom, 
fled  without  answering  these  bewildering 
words. 

Manlius,  looking  after  her,  muttered 
under  his  breath : 

"  Cannot  I  play  the  hypocrite  too  ?  " 


118 


CHAPTER   IX. 

As  Glyceria  had  learned  through  her 
spies,  Manlius  was  summoned  by  the 
lictors  to  Carinus'  presence  that  very  day. 
But  instead  of  waiting  for  the  command, 
he  went  to  the  palace  before  he  received 
it. 

Instead  of  his  plain  military  costume 
he  had  donned  the  ample  flowered  silk 
toga  worn  by  the  fashionable  dandies  of 
the  time,  rubbed  his  hair  with  perfumed 
ointments,  loaded  his  fingers  with  gems, 
adorned  his  ankles  with  circlets,  and  even 
ornamented  his  toes  with  rings  which 
glittered  between  the  thongs  of  his  san- 
dals, while  he  had  scattered  little  red 
spots  over  his  face  till  it  looked  as  freckled 
as  the  Caesar's.  So,  with  an  indolent,  loi- 
tering step  and  a  coquettish  carriage  of 
119 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

the  head,  he  entered  the  vestibule  of  the 
imperial  palace,  which  was  already  swarm- 
ing with  courtiers  similarly  attired,  who 
gazed  enviously  at  the  youth's  unusually 
magnificent  costume — only  they  could 
not  understand  why  he  had  painted 
freckles  on  his  face.  Manlius  bowed  to 
the  floor  before  Carinus — a  form  of  salu- 
tation which  had  been  transplanted  to 
Eonie  from  the  Persian  court.  Even 
jEvius  was  forced  to  admit  that  no  one 
understood  how  to  bow  with  so  much 
humility  as  Manlius.  Then,  seizing  a 
corner  of  the  imperial  mantle,  he  kissed 
it  with  the  devout  fervour  which  only  the 
most  pious  Jews  show  in  kissing  the 
thora. 

Carinus  wished  to  appear  stern. 

"  You  have  already  been  in  Rome  four 
days,  and  this  is  the  first  time  you  have 
come  to  me,"  he  said  reproachfully. 

"0  glorious  Augustus,"  replied  Man- 
lius in  an  inimitably  sweet  tone;  "I  have 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

already  been  ten  times  in  your  atrium  to 
deliver  the  news  I  bring  from  Asia,  but 
I  learned  as  often  that  you  were  enjoying 
the  delights  envied  by  the  gods,  and  I  am 
not  one  of  those  rude  soldiers  who  reck- 
lessly force  their  way  in  with  their  mes- 
sages of  supposed  importance,  and  rob 
you  of  hours  of  bliss  which  can  never  be 
regained." 

"  Good.  You  are  a  man  of  worth ;  but 
what  tidings  do  you  bring  from  Persia?  " 

"There  is  no  life  anywhere  in  the 
world,  O  Augustus,  except  where  you 
are.  All  the  lands  of  the  earth  exist  only 
to  make  the  contrast  between  them  and 
Rome  the  sharper.  I  will  not  weary  you 
with  tiresome  tales  of  war  and  battles. 
Wars  merely  serve  to  lessen  the  number 
of  dissatisfied  people,  so  why  should  I 
disturb  your  repose  with  my  descrip- 
tions?" 

"You  are  right,  Manlius.  Speak  of 
other  things." 

121 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"  My  experiences  are  at  your  command. 
I  saw  the  marvels  of  Barbarian  lands,  and 
always  thought  of  you.  In  Africa  I  saw 
horses  whose  shining  skins  were  streaked 
with  stripes,  animals  whose  like  no  Im- 
perator  has  ever  shown  in  our  circus 
games.  I  left  orders  with  the  command- 
ant of  Alexandria  to  send  several  of  them 
to  you.  In  the  Indian  seas  a  kind  of 
snail  was  discovered,  which  fastened  it- 
self to  the  rocks  by  means  of  threads  as 
fine  as  a  cobweb.  From  these  threads 
the  people  there  manufacture  a  fabric 
even  more  brilliant  than  sericum,  and  I 
brought  a  velamen  of  it  for  you,  such  as 
only  the  princes  of  that  country  wear." 

As  he  spoke,  Manlius  gave  the  Imper- 
ator  a  superb  textile  which  he  had  brought 
with  him  from  India  in  the  hope  that  it 
would  be  Sophronia's  bridal  veil. 

The  Caesar  was  filled  with  admiration 
at  the  sight  of  the  unusually  brilliant, 
delicate  texture. 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"Manlius,  I  appoint  you  Senator." 

The  courtiers  began  to  stare  enviously 
at  Manlius.  As  the  barber,  who  was  the 
most  jealous  of  any  sign  of  favour  from 
the  Caesar,  could  find  no  fault  with  the 
velamen,  he  vented  his  anger  upon  Man- 
lius' face. 

"Where  did  you  get  those  freckles, 
Manlius?  You  look  as  if  the  flies  had 
played  an  evil  trick  with  your  features." 

"  You  are  a  barber,  Marcius.  I  painted 
these  freckles.  It  is  a  very  aristocratic 
fashion  which  I  learned  at  the  court  of 
Persia." 

"  Is  it  the  fashion  there  to  wear  freck- 
les?" asked  Carinus,  whose  cheeks  Mar- 
cius was  in  the  habit  of  painting  white 
and  pink. 

"  Only  among  the  aristocrats.  It  is  the 
distinguishing  mark  between  the  dignita- 
ries of  the  kingdom  and  the  common  peo- 
ple. True,  it  requires  a  more  refined  taste 
than  yours,  Marcius,  to  appreciate  this; 
123 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

one  must  understand,  too,  why  and  in 
what  degree  these  freckles  embellish  the 
face.  The  empty,  smooth  face,  like  yours, 
for  instance,  which,  when  one  looks  at  it, 
shows  only  white  and  pink,  is  the  beauty 
of  the  plebeian;  Apollo's  countenance  is 
freckled." 

Manlius  knew  that  Carinus  liked  to  be 
called  Apollo. 

The  courtiers  were  horrified  at  this  bold 
assertion. 

"  I  repeat  that  Apollo's  face  is  adorned 
with  freckles.  For  Apollo's  image  is  the 
sun,  and  is  not  the  sun  itself  full  of  spots  ? 
Is  not  the  sky  strewn  with  stars,  and  are 
not  the  stars  the  freckles  of  the  sky,  as 
freckles  are  the  stars  of  the  human  face? 
Therefore,  0  Marcius,  do  not  censure  this 
magnificent  taste  of  mine." 

Carinus  motioned  to  his  barber  to  re- 
move the  paint  from  his  face. 

"Divine  countenance!"  cried  Manlius 
rapturously.  "  0  you  profaners  of  the 
124 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

sanctuary,  who  conceal  the  freckles  which 
the  graces  have  scattered  with  lavish  gen- 
erosity over  these  features.  Come,  friends, 
let  this  face  be  the  model  of  ours." 

And  the  courtiers  instantly  sat  down 
in  turn  before  Marcius  and  had  freckles 
painted  on  their  faces  that  they  might 
resemble  Carinus. 

From  that  moment  it  was  the  fashion 
in  Rome  to  have  freckles  painted  on  the 
face. 

"Manlius,"  said  the  Caesar,  "I  appoint 
you  Prefect  of  Rome." 

All  the  imperial  favourites  were  sup- 
planted by  the  young  Tribune. 

^Evius  was  in  despair. 

"To  what  shall  I  henceforth  compare 
the  Caesar  in  my  poems,  since  roses  and 
lilies  are  no  longer  beautiful  ?  "  he  wailed. 

"Compare  him  to  the  royal  panther," 
Manlius  advised.  And  the  poet  was  con- 
tent. 

At  this  moment  Mesembrius  arrived, 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

and  hearing  in  the  atrium  that  Manlius 
had  already  entered,  hastened  after  him. 

On  the  threshold  he  caught  a  glimpse 
of  the  young  soldier  and  started  back. 

"  Is  that  actor  Manlius  ? "  he  asked 
himself,  gazing  at  his  silk  toga  and  freck- 
led face.  "  Have  you  seen  Glyceria  ?  "  he 
whispered. 

"Yes,"  replied  Manlius. 

"Have  you  killed  her?  " 

"No." 

"  Then  I  understand  the  change.  Hith- 
erto only  caterpillars  became  butterflies; 
in  you  a  lion  has  undergone  the  change. 
I  pity  you." 

The  old  Senator,  as  he  spoke,  moved 
forward  with  dignified  bearing  and,  lean- 
ing on  his  crutches,  stood  before  the 
Augustus. 

"Augustus  Carinus,  I  have  come  to 
bring  a  charge,  or,  if  it  pleases  you  bet- 
ter, to  beseech  a  favour.  I  had  an  only 

daughter " 

126 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"  You  have  another,"  interrupted  ^Evius. 

"I  say  I  had  an  only  daughter.  She 
was  the  joy  of  my  life,  the  prop  of  my 
old  age.  Allured  by  a  new  religion,  this 
girl  and  her  companions  were  captured 
at  the  meeting  place  of  the  Christians. 
I  will  not  argue  with  you  over  matters  of 
belief,  Carinus,  but  I  entreat  you  to  listen 
to  the  petition  of  a  man  who  has  grown 
grey  in  the  service  of  Home,  and  restore 
my  only  child." 

Carinus  raised  himself  indolently  from 
his  lectisternium  and  whispered  a  few 
words  to  his  eunuch.  Then  he  turned 
to  Mesembrius. 

"Senator,  we  do  not  know  whether 
your  daughter  is  among  the  captured 
Christians;  had  we  been  aware  of  it  we 
should  have  delivered  her  up  to  you  long 
ago.  She  was  beautiful,  you  said  ?  " 

"I  did  not  say  so,  0  Lord." 

"  I  have  so  understood.  But  unfortu- 
nately I  must  inform  you  that  a  beauti- 
127 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

ful  girl  in  this  band  of  Christians  killed 
herself  last  night  in  prison." 

"  That  was  not  my  daughter.  Sophro- 
nia  could  not  forget  her  grey-haired 
father,  whom  her  loss  would  drive  to 
despair." 

"  Look  at  the  corpse,  Senator,  and  if  it 
is  not  your  daughter,  which  from  my 
heart  I  hope,  I  will  have  her  brought  here 
at  once  and  she  can  then  return  with  you." 

Mesembrius  was  so  startled  by  this 
unexpected  favour  that  he  forgot  to  ex- 
press his  thanks  for  it. 

The  eunuch  returned,  followed  by  two 
slaves,  who  bore  on  a  bier  a  corpse  cov- 
ered with  a  large  pall. 

JEvius  drew  it  from  the  body. 

Mesembrius  pressed  his  hand  upon  his 
heart;  the  blood  rushed  to  his  temples; 
his  breath  failed;  he  could  not  move;  he 
stood  motionless  for  a  time,  then,  with  a 
wild  cry  of  anguish,  flung  himself  upon 
the  lifeless  form. 

128 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"  My  child !    My  dear,  dear  child ! " 

"  So  I  have  him  to  fear,  too,"  murmured 
Carinus. 

Sobbing  aloud,  Mesembrius  embraced 
the  beautiful,  beloved  body.  Death  had 
restored  to  the  face  the  repose,  the  super- 
natural loveliness  which  had  been  pecul- 
iar to  it  in  life.  It  seemed  as  though 
she  were  sleeping  and  at  a  call  would 
wake. 

"Oh,  my  dear,  sweet  child,"  sobbed 
the  old  man ;  "  why  must  you  leave  me 
here?  If  you  were  resolved  to  die,  why 
did  you  not  appear  to  me  in  a  dream, 
that  I  might  have  followed  you?  What 
have  I  to  love  in  this  world  now  that  you 
are  no  more?  What  is  to  become  of  me, 
an  old  withered  tree,  whose  only  blossom- 
ing branch  has  been  cut  off?  Have  you 
no  longer  one  word,  one  smile  for  me? 
Once  you  were  so  gay,  so  full  of  cheerful 
converse — oh,  why  must  I  endure  this?  " 

The  father  turned  neither  to  the  Caesar 
129 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

nor  to  the  courtiers ;  he  gave  free  course 
to  his  tears,  burying  his  face  in  his  dead 
daughter's  winding-sheet. 

But  gradually  he  seemed  to  realise  that 
he  was  weeping  alone,  and  his  dim  eyes 
wandered  around  the  apartment  with  a 
vague  consciousness  that  there  must  be 
some  one  else  here  who  owed  to  Sophro- 
nia's  manes  the  tribute  of  tears. 

There  stood  Manlius,  with  a  cold,  un- 
sympathising  face,  talking  to  Carinus. 
Not  a  feature  betrayed  the  slightest  sor- 
row. 

Mesembrius  indignantly  grasped  the 
youth's  arm. 

"And  have  your  eyes  no  tears,  when 
your  bride  lies  murdered  before  you? " 

Seized  with  suspicion  Carinus  suddenly 
looked  at  Manlius ;  the  courtiers,  with 
malicious  pleasure,  turned  toward  him. 

"  My  bride  ? "  asked  Manlius,  in  a  tone 
of  astonishment.  "  Your  mind  is  wander- 
ing, old  Mesembrius." 
130 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"  Have  the  Furies  robbed  you  of  your 
reason  that  you  no  longer  remember 
that,  but  three  days  ago,  you  asked  for 
my  daughter's  hand  and  I  gave  it  to 
you?" 

"Your  daughter's  hand,  certainly,"  re- 
plied Manlius,  with  unshaken  calmness. 
"  Not  this  daughter's  here,  however,  but 
Glyceria's." 

"  May  you  be  accursed !  "  shouted  Me- 
sembrius,  with  savage  fury,  and  without 
heeding  the  Caesar,  his  dead  daughter,  or 
the  danger  threatening  him,  he  rushed 
out  of  the  hall  like  a  madman. 

This  very  thing  saved  him. 

"Follow  him,  Galga!"  shouted  Cari- 
nus.  "Seize  him.  This  man's  head 
must  be  laid  at  my  feet." 

Meanwhile  Mesembrius  rushed  through 
the  palace.  The  throng  of  slaves  shrank 
back  in  terror  at  the  sight  of  his  agitated 
face,  and  allowed  him  to  reach  the  open 
air.  His  frantic  words  instantly  gath- 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

ered  a  crowd  around  him,  and  by  the 
time  Galga,  at  the  head  of  a  troop  of 
mounted  praetorians,  went  in  pursuit  of 
him,  the  mob  had  attained  threatening 
proportions.  But  the  Thracian  giant 
dashed  recklessly  through  the  masses  of 
people.  As  he  stretched  his  arm  from 
the  saddle  to  seize  the  old  man's  head 
and  sever  it  from  the  trunk  with  a  single 
stroke  of  his  sword,  the  Eoman,  with 
strength  wholly  unexpected  in  a  man  of 
his  age,  dealt  the  brown-skinned  colossus 
such  a  blow  with  his  heavy  crutch  that 
he  fell  from  his  horse  with  a  shattered 
skull.  Mesembrius  swung  himself  into 
the  saddle  at  a  bound,  and  led  the  infu- 
riated populace  against  the  armed  cohort, 
which  was  scattered  in  a  moment,  and 
before  reinforcements  arrived  to  quell  the 
tumult,  the  old  patrician  had  disappeared 
and  was  never  found. 


132 


CHAPTER    X. 

MANLIUS  remained  with  Carinus  to 
amuse  him;  he  taught  the  dancing  girls 
the  dazzling  arts  of  the  Indian  bayaderes, 
and  conquered  ^vius  by  producing  on 
every  occasion,  and  at  every  toast,  dis- 
tiches more  apt  and  beautiful  than  the 
court  poet  could  fabricate. 

During  a  single  evening  Carinus  gave 
the  now  universally  envied  favourite  a 
hundred  thousand  sestertiae,  and,  when 
he  learned  from  him  that  the  Teutonic 
women,  by  means  of  a  special  kind  of  soap, 
dyed  their  hair  amber-yellow,  he  prom- 
ised Manlius  to  appoint  him  Governor  of 
Gallia  that  he  might  send  him  some  of 
this  soap  which  turned  the  hair  yellow — 
at  that  period  a  hue  ridiculously  fashion- 
able in  the  aristocratic  society  of  Borne. 
133 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

The  banquet  lasted  a  long  time.  True, 
it  was  only  afternoon  out  of  doors, 
but  any  one  who  did  not  know  that 
the  feast  had  begun  in  the  morning 
would  have  supposed  it  was  already 
midnight. 

Carinus  poured  the  wine  that  remained 
in  the  drinking  horn  upon  the  floor,  in 
token  that  he  drank  some  one's  health, 
and  then  handed  it  to  Manlius. 

"To  the  health  of  the  beautiful  Gly- 
ceria ! " 

"And  to  yours,  Carinus,"  replied  Man- 
lius, giving  his  own  in  exchange. 

"Manlius,"  said  Carinus,  the  blood 
mounting  to  his  face,  "do  you  know 
that  I  have  already  had  one  husband  of 
Glyceria  slain?" 

"You  did  well,  Carinus;  but  for  that 
I  could  not  become  the  second." 

"Do  you  know  why  I  had  him 
killed?" 

"Because  he  concealed  his  wife  from 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

you.  Fool!  Have  the  gods  created  a 
sun  that  some  one  may  take  possession 
of  it  and  allow  others  no  share  in  its 
light?  Those  who  snatch  a  beautiful 
woman  from  the  world,  and  then  demand 
that  she  shall  be  loved  by  no  one  else, 
are  thieves  and  robbers !  " 

"It  might  seem  strange  to  you,  Man- 
lius,  if  I  should  take  you  at  your  word. 
You  must  know  that  I  love  your  wife 
madly." 

"That  is  your  affair,  Carinus.  I  do 
not  keep  her  locked  up.  The  way  to  her 
is  open  to  every  one." 

"It  is  easy  for  you  to  play  the  mag- 
nanimous. She  herself  secludes  herself 
sufficiently.  While  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  men  tremble  at  a  wave  of  my 
hand,  all  my  power  cannot  win  the  love 
of  this  one  woman." 

"And  how  Glyceria  can  love!  Ah, 
Carinus,  I  know  that  when,  in  the  even- 
ing, the  door  opens  to  me  which  you  al- 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

ways  find  closed,  you  would  joyfully  per- 
mit me  to  occupy  your  throne  and  reign 
in  your  stead  so  long  as  you  fill  my  place 
as  bridegroom." 

Carinus  sprang  up  as  if  an  electric 
spark  had  thrilled  him. 

"Hecatcea!  I  will  take  you  at  your 
word!  Take  my  throne,  command  my 
slaves,  my  empire  in  my  name,  have  my 
favourites  killed,  make  the  lowest  in  Rome 
the  highest,  empty  my  treasure-houses, 
and,  for  all  this,  merely  give  me  the  key 
of  your  bridal-chamber." 

"The  bargain  is  made;  here  is  my 
hand.  Give  me  the  parchment  and  sty- 
lus. Listen  to  what  I  write  to  Glyceria, 
and  send  it  to  her  dwelling :  '  Goddess  of 
my  love!  I  shall  spend  the  hours  be- 
tween evening  and  morning  with  you. 
My  heart  longs  for  your  words  of  conso- 
lation. The  cypress-branch  has  wounded 
my  brow;  your  rose-wreath  may  subdue 
its  flames.  When  the  evening  star,  the 
136 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

lamp  of  lovers,  begins  to  shine,  extin- 
guish yours  that,  if  tears  should  dim  my 
eyes,  you  may  not  see  them,  but  only  feel 
my  kisses.  Until  dawn  I  shall  be  with 
you,  and  in  possession  of  my  happiness. 
Your  languishing  husband,  Manlius  Sin- 
ister.' Send  this  letter  by  a  slave,  and 
put  on  this  ring,  which  you  must  show 
at  the  door.  Then  you  will  be  admitted, 
and  Glyceria's  women  will  conduct  you 
where  she  awaits  you." 

Carinus  listened  greedily  to  every  word 
from  Manlius,  who  coolly  handed  him 
the  ring  and  the  letter.  Trembling  in 
every  limb,  he  could  not  speak,  but  mo- 
tioned to  a  slave  to  deliver  Manlius' 
letter  to  Glyceria. 

The  courtiers  whispered  together  in 
astonishment. 

"What  a  fortunate  man  you  are," 
^Evius  whispered  in  the  ear  of  the  new 
favourite.  "  Why  did  not  I  have  the  good 
luck  to  possess  Glyceria's  love,  that  I 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

might  cast  it  from  me  with  the  same  in- 
difference ?" 

The  slave  soon  returned  with  a  letter 
from  Glyceria  to  Manlius. 

The  latter  handed  it  to  the  Caesar: 

K  It  is  yours ;  read  it !  " 

Carinus,  with  trembling  hands,  unrolled 
the  parchment;  his  eyes  sparkled  as  he 
read: 

"  Manlius!  Your  lines  quiver  in  my 
hand.  A  thousand  emotions  are  raging 
in  my  heart;  fear,  longing,  holy  horrour, 
and  wild  love.  I  am  under  the  ban  of 
an  irresistible  spell.  I  wish  you  might 
not  come,  but  if  you  do,  I  shall  be  unable 
to  resist  you.  I  feel  within  my  breast 
the  power  and  the  desire  to  destroy  the 
whole  world,  but  at  a  breath  from  you  all 
my  strength  fails;  I  am  nothing  more 
than  a  weak,  loving  woman,  who  loses  her 
reason  in  her  love.  Oh,  do  not  come! 
Glyceria." 

"  That  means :  '  Oh,  come ! '  "  said  Man- 
138 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

lius  laughing,  propping  himself  carelessly 
on  one  elbow  upon  his  couch. 

Carinus  ordered  his  lectica  to  be 
brought,  and  had  himself  lifted  into  it. 

"No  man  has  ever  done  that,"  whis- 
pered the  barber,  filled  with  envy;  "given 
up  his  own  bride  to  another." 

"Meanwhile  you  are  the  ruler  of 
Eome,"  said  Carinus  to  Manlius.  "Let 
the  fellow  who  writes  my  name  come. 
Whatever  you  command,  I  command. 
Reign  over  my  kingdom." 

"And  you  over  my  heaven." 

The  slaves  closed  the  purple  curtains 
of  the  lectica,  raised  it  on  their  shoulders, 
and  withdrew  with  the  Caesar. 

The  trembling  courtiers,  with  humble 
faces,  gathered  around  the  youth  whom 
the  Imperator's  crazy  whim  had  made  for 
an  hour  the  master  of  the  world. 

Manlius  stretched  himself  comfortably 
upon  the  cushions  of  the  imperial  couch, 
sought  among  the  throng  of  courtiers  the 
139 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

man  who  was  trembling  most  violently, 
and  beckoned  to  him. 

It  was  Marcius,  the  barber ;  by  virtue 
of  imperial  favour,  Praefectus  Praetorio. 

"  You  are  the  commander  of  the  praeto- 
rians? "  asked  Manlius. 

"Yes,  my  imperial  master,"  stammered 
the  barber,  rolling  his  eyes. 

Manlius  laughed. 

"So  you  really  consider  me  the  Caesar? 
If  I  were  the  Imperator,  I  would  have 
you  beheaded  because  you  mocked  at  my 
face ;  but  call  me  your  friend.  I  know 
your  merits." 

"0  my  Lord!" 

"  I  know,  and  will  reward  them.  You 
are  accustomed  to  bleed  people,  so  you 
will  make  a  good  soldier;  you  are  skilled 
in  arranging  the  hair,  which  indicates 
your  talent  for  commander-in-chief ;  and 
understand  how  to  pluck  out  hairs  coolly, 
from  which  I  perceive  that  you  are  stern 
and  impartial.  I  am  not  satisfied  with 
140 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

the  leaders  of  the  army  in  the  East,  Nu- 
merian  and  Diocletian,  and  I  therefore 
appoint  you  general  of  these  troops.  You 
will  set  out  at  once  for  Thrace.  Hon- 
ourable Defraudator!  Sign  our  name  to 
the  document." 

Marcius's  brain  fairly  reeled  under  the 
burden  of  his  new  dignities. 

The  courtiers  were  rigid  with  astonish- 
ment, and  calculated  that  if  Manlius  be- 
gan to  reward  thus  those  who  had  mocked 
him,  he  would  perhaps  raise  to  the  very 
heavens  those  who  had  looked  at  him 
with  smiles.  The  appointment  was  made 
out.  The  secretary  signed  the  Caesar's 
name,  and  Marcius,  with  a  very  impor- 
tant face,  retired  at  once,  carrying  his 
commission. 

Urged  by  envy  and  jealousy,  JEvius 
pressed  forward  to  Manlius.  The  latter 
saw  his  struggle  and  beckoned  to  him. 

"You  will  be  Praefectus  Praetorio  in 
Marcius's  place,  and  distribute  four  thou- 
141 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

sand  talents  among  this  valiant  band, 
whose  sole  duty  consists  in  guarding  our 
person.  To  be  able  to  reward  these  men 
richly  continually,  we  will  lessen  the 
numbers  of  the  outside  army.  Why 
should  we  keep  foreign  countries  garri- 
soned with  our  legions,  pay  Roman  gold 
for  Eoman  steel,  and  give  the  leaders  op- 
portunity to  rebel  against  us?  In  an 
hour  you  will  depart  for  Thrace,  bearing 
our  command  to  Numerian  and  Diocle- 
tian to  dismiss  half  the  army  at  once, 
and  the  sum  thus  saved  I  place  at  your 
free  disposal,  my  noble  friends.  Write 
down  my  words,  honourable  Defrauda- 
tor  I " 

A  frantic  shout  of  joy  greeted  Man- 
lius'  speech.  The  courtiers  rushed  to 
him,  raised  him  on  their  shoulders,  and 
amid  the  accompaniment  of  music  and 
thundering  cheers,  bore  him  around  the 
room.  The  fury  of  intoxication  had 
risen  to  madness,  Senators  were  no  longer 
142 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

to  be  distinguished  from  actors,  dancers 
and  hetserse,  slaves  and  bacchantes  min- 
gled in  the  hall,  wine  flowed  from  the 
skins  upon  the  floor,  the  lamps  were  ex- 
tinguished with  it,  and  darkness  covered 
the  foul  scene. 

The  only  window  in  the  apartment  was 
a  round  one  in  the  ceiling  which  admit- 
ted the  fresh  air.  When  the  last  lamp 
was  extinguished,  the  senseless  revellers 
saw  with  terror  that  the  window  above 
their  heads  now  gave  light.  What  if  the 
sky  had  kindled  into  terrible  flames  to 
illumine  with  its  awful  glare  the  hell 
beneath ! 

The  horrible  tumult  of  the  orgy  ceased 
as  if  by  magic,  and  through  the  doors, 
suddenly  flung  wide  open,  rushed  a  slave, 
calling  in  a  trembling  voice  the  message 
of  terror: 

"  Save  yourselves !     Eome  is  burning !  " 

Through  the  round  window  the  crim- 
son glow  shone  like  the  flames  of  the 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

Day  of  Judgment  upon  the  evil  beings 
caught  in  the  midst  of  their  sins. 

When  Carinus  showed  the  ring,  he  was 
conducted  without  delay  to  Glyceria's 
apartments. 

The  palace  already  stood  wrapped  in 
silence  and  darkness.  Carinus  felt  rust- 
ling garments  brush  him  in  the  corridors, 
soft  hands  guided  him  and,  amid  low 
laughter,  led  him  through  quiet  rooms 
until  at  last  he  clasped  a  hand  at  whose 
electric  pressure  his  blood  began  to  seethe, 
and  a  familiar  voice  faltered  with  a  ten- 
derness never  heard  before : 

"  Manlius !     So  you  came  ?  " 

It  was  Glyceria — cruelly  deceived  Gly- 
ceria. 

"  I  expected  you,  and  yet  I  hoped  you 
would  not  come,"  she  whispered  softly. 
"Do  you  feel  the  tremour  of  my  hand  in 
your  clasp?  It  is  quivering  with  love 
and  fear.  Love  robbed  me  of  my  senses. 
144 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

One  word  of  tenderness  from  your  lips 
made  my  soul  your  slave — all  that,  dur- 
ing my  whole  life,  I  had  concentrated  in 
a  single  thought,  the  goal  of  my  longing 
which  I  had  never  hoped  to  possess,  the 
joy  of  which  I  had  always  dreamed,  but 
never  hoped  would  be  mine — I  now  em- 
brace !  I  do  not  understand  it.  This  is 
not  the  day  or  the  hour  in  which  we 
ought  to  speak  of  love,  but  you  men- 
tioned it,  and  can  the  woman  who  loves 
choose  the  hour  for  answering  the  ques- 
tion?" 

Carinus  stole  the  caresses  of  the  loving 
woman. 

"  Yet,  0  Manlius !  I  trembled  lest  you 
might  come  only  to  mock  me,  only  to 
play  a  cruel  game  with  me,  obtain  the 
deepest  secrets  of  my  heart  and  then  jeer 
at  me  for  them.  No.  You  cannot  do 
that.  You  cannot  trample  in  the  dust 
the  only  feeling  which  I  have  kept  un- 
sullied amid  the  ruin  of  my  life.  Can 
10  145 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

you  hate  me  because  I  love  you?  And 
if  you  hate  me,  would  you  not  slay,  ra- 
ther than  mock  me? " 

Carinus  silently  drew  the  trembling 
figure  toward  him  and  covered  her  cheeks 
and  lips  with  fervent  kisses. 

Glyceria,  in  blissful  delusion,  yielded 
to  his  embrace,  and  in  her  happiness  had 
almost  silenced  the  warning  voice  in  her 
heart,  when  Carinus'  cheek  suddenly 
touched  hers,  and  she  discovered  that  his 
face  was  beardless. 

The  most  terrible  thought  darted 
through  Glyceria' s  brain. 

"Ha!  Who  are  you?  You  are  not 
Manlius.  Be  accursed !  You  are  Carinus." 

And,  wresting  herself  with  the  strength 
of  despair  from  the  Caesar's  arms,  she 
rushed  toward  the  opposite  side  of  the 
room  and  disappeared  behind  the  curtains 
of  the  niche  which  concealed  her  couch, 
drawing  the  heavy  folds  together  and 
hastily  fastening  the  cords. 
146 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"  You  will  not  escape  me ! "  shrieked 
Carinus,  dashing  in  the  fury  of  his  pas- 
sion toward  the  curtains,  and  tearing  them 
down,  while  he  tore  apart  the  knot  which 
confined  the  cords  with  his  teeth. 

But  these  few  seconds  had  sufficed  for 
Glyceria  to  light  a  vessel  filled  with  some 
inflammable  fluid  and,  at  the  instant  Ca- 
rinus succeeded  in  forcing  the  curtains 
apart,  she  poured  the  flaming  contents 
over  her  couch  and,  while  the  blaze 
caught  the  light  draperies,  she  herself 
sprang  with  a  single  bound  upon  the  bed, 
now  burning  around  her,  whence  like  a 
terrible,  destroying  vision  she  shouted  to 
the  terror-stricken  Augustus: 

"Now,  come!" 

The  next  moment  the  hall  was  wrapped 
in  flames.  Like  the  fiend  who  gained  an 
entrance  into  Heaven  and  was  forced  to 
fly  thence,  Carinus  fled  from  the  destroy- 
ing fire,  while  Glyceria,  seizing  a  burning 
coverlet,  rushed  from  room  to  room,  set- 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

ting  fire  to  each,  and,  dragging  costly  gar- 
ments into  the  main  hall,  kindled  those 
too. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  whole  palace  was 
in  flames  and,  at  the  end  of  an  hour,  a 
sea  of  fire  was  rolling  through  Eome. 

Carinus  had  been  borne  back  to  his 


Glyceria  fled  that  same  night  to  the 
temple  of  Cybele. 


148 


CHAPTEE  XI. 

WHILE  in  Rome  pleasures  alternated 
with  horrors  the  troops  commanded  by 
Numerian  marched  over  rough  roads, 
amid  severe  privations,  to  the  Bosporus. 
Here  they  were  joined  by  the  fugitive 
Mesembrius  who,  when  he  left  Rome,  fled 
directly  to  Numerian. 

No  one  had  been  able  to  see  this  noble 
Caesar  for  several  weeks.  He  suffered  se- 
vere pain  in  his  eyes,  and  did  not  leave 
his  tent.  Mesembrius  made  his  com- 
plaint to  the  leaders  next  in  command. 
One,  Diocletian,  promised  to  avenge  him, 
while  the  second,  Aper,  referred  to  Nu- 
merian and  refrained  from  giving  any 
opinion  of  his  own. 

"Then  let  me  go  to  Numerian;  if  I 
speak  to  him,  he  will  be  the  first  to  draw 
149 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

his  sword  against  his  brother,"  urged  the 
Senator. 

"You  cannot  see  him,"  replied  Aper, 
placing  himself  before  the  entrance  to 
Numerian's  tent.  "No  one  except  my- 
self is  allowed  to  speak  to  him  during 
his  illness.  He  even  gives  his  orders  to 
the  army  through  me  alone." 

Mesembrius  sniffed  the  air  suspi- 
ciously. 

"  Why  does  so  strong  a  smell  of  musk 
and  amber  come  from  this  tent?  " 

"Why  ? "  repeated  Aper,  his  face 
blanching.  "  Why  do  you  desire  to  know, 
Senator?" 

"What?"  retorted  Mesembrius;  "be- 
cause you  lie,  Aper,  when  you  say  that 
Numerian  issues  his  orders  through  you." 

"What?  What  do  you  mean?  "  shouted 
the  soldiers  who  had  gathered  around  the 
two. 

"I  mean  that  Numerian  is  no  longer 
living ! "  cried  Mesembrius  in  ringing 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

tones.  "  No,  no,  the  strong  odour  of  am- 
ber issuing  from  his  tent  is  only  to  dis- 
guise the  scent  of  corruption,  and  Aper 
has  long  taken  advantage  of  you  by  issu- 
ing orders  in  Numerian's  name. " 

The  soldiers  forced  their  way  into  Nu- 
merian's  tent  and  found  the  old  man's 
words  confirmed.  Numerian  had  lain 
dead  a  long  time;  his  body  was  far  ad- 
vanced in  decomposition. 

Aper  was  instantly  put  in  chains  by 
the  soldiers  on  account  of  this  deception; 
in  the  afternoon  an  empty  throne  was 
erected  in  the  open  fields  for  the  election 
of  a  new  Imperator. 

Mesembrius  walked  through  the  ranks 
of  the  legions,  recommending  Diocletian, 
whom  the  soldiers  fairly  .forced  to  take 
his  seat  upon  the  throne. 

Then  Aper  was  brought  forward. 

"I  charge  you,  publicly  and  plainly," 
said  Mesembrius,  "with  having  murdered 
Numerian  and  betrayed  us  to  Carinus." 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"And  we  condemn  you,"  roared  the 
army  with  one  voice. 

"And  I  execute  the  sentence,"  said 
Diocletian,  stabbing  with  his  own  hand 
the  prisoner  sentenced  by  the  troops. 

In  the  midst  of  this  wrathful  mood 
Marcius  arrived  with  the  order  given  to 
him  by  Manlius  and,  without  knowing 
what  had  happened,  he  delivered  his  ap- 
pointment to  the  new  Caesar. 

"Who  is  this?"  asked  Diocletian, 
turning  to  Mesembrius. 

"The  Caesar's  barber." 

Diocletian  turned  smiling  to  the  sol- 
diers. 

"Friends!  Carinus  provided  for  our 
beards  and  sent  us  a  barber  with  the  rank 
of  an  Imperator;  pray  sit  down  before 
him  and  have  yourselves  shaved.  But 
do  you  take  care  not  to  cut  my  soldiers' 
faces,  my  little  friend,  for  if  they  should 
try  their  big  razors  on  you,  you  would 
fare  ill." 

152 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

The  soldiers,  amid  loud  shouts  of 
laughter,  dragged  Marcius  off  with  them, 
and  made  him  shave  their  bristling 
beards. 

Scarcely  an  hour  later  JEvius  arrived 
with  the  command  to  dismiss  half  the 
army  at  once/ 

This  enraged  the  Caesar  and  the  whole 
body  of  troops.  To  assail  their  interests 
so  boldly  was  presumptuous  even  from  the 
Imperator. 

"  To  the  funeral  pyre  with  the  messen- 
ger and  his  message ! "  cried  Diocletian, 
and  the  poet  had  already  been  bound  to 
the  huge  pile  of  logs  when  he  sighed 
bitterly: 

"  O  ye  gods,  must  I,  while  still  living, 
witness  my  own  apotheosis  ?  " 

Diocletian  laughed  at  the  idea  and 
ordered  the  poet  to  be  brought  down 
from  the  funeral  pyre,  contenting  him- 
self with  putting  him  in  the  pillory, 
after  which  he  sent  him  back  to  Rome 
'53 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

with    a   message   declaring   war  against 
Carinus. 

The  thunderstorm  was  rising,  though 
as  yet  it  sent  forth  no  lightning. 

In  Rome  it  was  openly  stated  that  the 
army  sent  to  the  West,  filled  with  mortal 
hatred  of  Carinus,  had  already  reached 
the  Ister,  only  nothing  was  said  of  it  in 
the  Caesar's  palace.  There  revelry  was 
perpetual  and  if,  from  time  to  time,  any 
one  alluded  to  Diocletian's  approach,  he 
was  pitilessly  derided. 

"Who  is  this  peasant?  "  asked  Manlius. 
"Who  ever  heard  his  name  among  the 
patricians  of  Home  ?  Who  knew  his  fa- 
ther? His  mother,  on  the  contrary,  was 
known  by  many.  She  was  a  slave  in  the 
house  of  Senator  Anulinus.  Anulinus 
has  a  right  to  demand  him  as  a  fruit  of 
his  household." 

The  courtiers  laughed  at  the  jest. 

"  You  must  know  him,  Manlius  ?  " 
'54 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"  I  have  never  seen  him?.  I  used  to  be 
where  danger  threatened,  and  I  never  saw 
Diocletian.  I  know  him  because  I  was 
told  that  he  always  led  the  rearguard 
when  we  were  marching  forward,  and  the 
vanguard  when  we  were  retiring." 

Peals  of  laughter  greeted  the  words. 

"And  what  is  the  character  of  his 
army  ?  "  he  was  asked. 

"  It  is  a  valiant,  obedient  body.  It  has 
killed  three  of  its  Imperators.  As  for  its 
courage  and  fearlessness,  it  is  peerless  in 
those  qualities,  for  it  retreated  from  the 
banks  of  the  Tigris  without  having  seen 
an  enemy.  When  I  tell  you  that  I  my- 
self was  the  greatest  hero  among  them, 
you  can  judge  of  the  rest." 

"And  your  news  of  victories?  " 

"Were  two-thirds  inventions.  Al- 
though we  sometimes  gained  one,  we 
owed  it  to  our  superior  numbers;  but 
the  army  must  now  be  greatly  reduced 
by  desertion  and  disease." 
'55 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

This  sycophantic  nation  liked  nothing 
better  than  to  hear  the  soldiers  slandered, 
and  therefore  Manlius  even  slandered 
himself. 

When  Diocletian's  army  approached 
so  close,  however,  that  there  could  no 
longer  be  any  doubt  as  to  the  danger, 
the  imperial  generals  urgently  pressed 
the  Imperator  to  prepare  for  war,  and 
Carinus  gathered  his  troops  from  the 
European  provinces. 

Suddenly  the  rumour  spread  that  Cari- 
nus would  command  his  army  in  person. 
He  could  be  seen  at  two  military  exer- 
cises, the  reviews  of  the  troops.  Manlius 
was  always  at  his  side,  constantly  stimu- 
lating his  vanity  or  his  jealousy  by  en- 
treating him  not  to  leave  the  victories  to 
his  leaders  or  commit  the  course  of  the 
campaign  to  their  knowledge  and  pru- 
dence. 

"The  victorious  general  is  a  new  foe," 
Manlius  was  in  the  habit  of  saying,  and 
156 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

the  Imperator  assumed  the  chief  com- 
mand of  the  assembled  forces,  and  pro- 
duced no  bad  effect  mounted  on  his  grey 
charger  and  clad  in  a  suit  of  gold  armour, 
with  a  purple  striped  violet  mantle  float- 
ing around  his  shoulders. 

On  the  day  before  the  departure  of  the 
army,  the  leaders  went  to  all  the  temples 
in  turn,  offering  sacrifices  everywhere, 
even  on  the  altars  of  the  Egyptian  gods. 
Manlius  assisted  in  bringing  the  animals 
selected  for  victims  to  the  haruspex. 

The  populace  listened  in  solemn  devo- 
tion to  the  augur's  words. 

Quaterquartus  extended  his  arms  and, 
with  closed  eyes,  said,  in  deep  tones: 

"This  battle  will  ruin  the  enemy  of 
Rome." 

True,  he  did  not  say  whom  he  consid- 
ered the  enemy  of  Rome — whether  Dio- 
cletian or  Carinus. 

At  last  the  imperial  procession  reached 
Cybele's  temple.  Amid  a  deafening  up- 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

roar  of  drums  and  blaring  trumpets,  the 
frantic  priestesses  were  dancing  in  the 
open  portico,  stabbing  their  bodies  with 
knives,  muttering  with  foaming  lips 
incomprehensible  words,  and  whirling 
around  till,  overcome  by  giddiness,  they 
fell  to  the  floor. 

Suddenly  a  shriek,  shriller,  more  ter- 
rible than  any  other  sound  in  this  inhar- 
monious uproar,  rang  above  the  din;  a 
shriek  so  piercing,  so  heart-rending,  that 
every  one  gazed  trembling  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  sound. 

A  woman's  tall  figure  stood  beneath 
the  pillars;  a  long  white  mantle,  which 
she  clutched  with  both  hands,  floated 
from  her  head  to  her  feet. 

"  Woe  betide  thee,  Eome !  Woe  betide 
ye,  Roman  people!  Woe  betide  thee, 
Imperator  of  Eome ! " 

The  woman  came  out  into  the  portico 
and,  as  she  fixed  her  cold,  expressionless 
eyes  upon  the  throng,  Carinus,  seized  with 
158 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

horror,  grasped  the  hand  of  Manlius,  who 
stood  by  his  side. 

"That  isGlyceria." 

Manlius  also  shrank  back  in  terror. 

The  madwoman,  with  the  face  of  a 
prophetess,  stood  upon  the  steps  of  the 
temple. 

"  Woe  to  those  born  on  Roman  soil,  the 
children  who  must  atone  for  the  sins  of 
the  fathers,  and  the  fathers  upon  whom 
the  curse  of  their  children  falls.  O 
Roma!  The  stars  of  ruin  will  appear 
in  thy  sky,  and  the  earth  will  tremble 
beneath  thee !  Horror  will  dwell  within 
thy  walls,  and  peace  will  remain  far  dis- 
tant. Foes  will  trample  thee  under  their 
feet,  foreign  nations  will  show  thee  thy 
banners  which  they  have  wrested  from 
thee,  thou  wilt  beseech  Barbarian  ene- 
mies to  grant  thee  the  bare  gift  of  life, 
and  thy  greatest  foes  will  dwell  within 
thy  walls,  for  they  are  thine  own  em- 
perors !  The  air,  corrupted  by  the  curses 
'59 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

uttered,  will  bring  the  plague  upon  ye, 
miserable  mortals!  Those  whom  famine 
spares  will  perish  in  battle;  those  whom 
the  sea  rejects  the  earth  will  swallow ! 
0  Borne,  thou  queen  of  nations,  thou  wilt 
be  orphaned;  thou  wilt  vanish  like  the 
star  that  falls  into  the  waves;  nothing 
will  be  left  of  thee  save  the  memory  of 
thy  sins,  and  the  grass  which  will  grow 
over  thy  palaces;  even  thy  gods  will 
disappear  from  thy  temples  so  that,  in 
thy  despair,  thou  canst  pray  to  no  one !  " 

A  tribune  bent  forward  to  kiss  the 
maniac's  hand,  and  ask  in  a  timid  voice : 

"  What  result  dost  thou  predict  for  the 
battle  to  which  Carinus  is  just  march- 
ing?" 

Glyceria  heard  the  question,  and  looked 
gloomily  at  the  soldiers. 

"Fear  nothing!     Destroy,  set  brother 

against  brother,  whoever  may  conquer — 

Rome  has  lost.     If  Carinus  is  victor,  he 

will  uproot  half  Eome ;  if  Diocletian  con- 

160 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

quers,  he  will  destroy  the  other  half,  and 
both  are  well  deserved.  March  to  battle, 
mad  nation;  shed  thy  blood,  kill  thy 
sons,  let  them  die  in  tortures  and  remain 
unburied.  When  their  souls  flutter  away 
in  the  autumn  mist,  they  will  be  forgot- 
ten. Men,  behold  your  wives  clasped  in 
the  arms  of  others,  your  houses  burned, 
your  children  dragged  to  slavery,  and 
know  that  there  is  no  world  where  ye 
can  find  compensation.  Go!  Die  ac- 
cursed and  despairing ! " 

Amid  terrible  convulsions,  she  sank 
down  on  the  steps  of  the  temple  and,  with 
outstretched  arms,  cursed  the  Roman  peo- 
ple even  while  her  lips  were  almost 
incapable  of  speech. 

"  Take  back  your  curse ! "  shouted  the 
flamen  Dialis,  rushing  up  to  her  and 
seizing  her  hand. 

With  her  last  strength  Glyceria  raised 
herself,  her  eyes  rolled  wildly  over  the 
throng  and,  once  more  summoning  all  the 
ii  161 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

bitterness  of  her  heart,  she  raised  both 
hands  and  extending  them  over  the  mul- 
titude shrieked : 
, "  Be  accursed !  " 

With  these  words  she  fell  back  lifeless, 
her  staring  eyes,  even  in  death,  fixed 
upon  Manlius. 


162 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  armies  of  the  imperial  rivals  met 
between  Belgrade  and  Szeudro.  The  Im- 
perator  Carinus'  troops  were  perfectly 
fresh;  Diocletian's  legions  were  wearied 
by  fatiguing  marches. 

Carinus  ordered  his  tent  to  be  pitched 
on  the  top  of  a  bill,  whence,  at  Manlius's 
side,  he  watched  the  conflict. 

The  result  was  for  a  long  time  doubt- 
ful. Diocletian's  skill  and  experience  as 
a  general  held  the  superior  numbers  of  the 
foe  in  check. 

"Your  leaders  are  good  for  nothing," 
cried  Manlius ;  "  Diocletian's  centre  might 
be  broken  by  a  general,  resolute  assault, 
for  his  weakest  legions  are  stationed 
there,  and  then  half  his  wing  would  be 
lost* 

163 


A  Christian  but  a   Roman. 

"Make  the  necessary  arrangements 
yourself,"  said  Carinus. 

"  Forward  with  the  reserve,  tribunes !  * 
shouted  Manlius.  "The  foreign  legions 
must  be  sacrificed;  let  them  be  hewn 
down,  and  then  on  with  the  Triarians. 
Send  against  the  Phrygian  cavalry  the 
German  bands,  who  must  hamstring  the 
horses  with  their  long  swords.  Let  no  one 
remain  here.  March  forward  with  all  your 
men.  I  alone  can  guard  the  Caesar." 

The  result  of  these  orders  was  an  im- 
mediate change  in  the  tide  of  battle. 
Diocletian  perceived  that  a  skilled  com- 
mander, who  knew  the  weaknesses  of  his 
army,  was  opposing  him ;  he  hastily  gave 
the  signal  for  retreat  to  save  his  force 
from  destruction. 

Standing  in  the  entrance  of  his  tent 
Carinus  watched  the  progress  of  the  con- 
flict. His  troops  were  everywhere  driv- 
ing the  enemy  before  them,  his  cavalry 
was  pressing  onward. 
164 


A  Christian  but  a  Roman. 

The  flush  of  triumph  glowed  upon  his 
face,  every  feature  was  radiant  with  the 
pride  of  victory,  his  heart  throbbed  with 

joy- 

"  I  have  conquered ! "  he  exclaimed, 
wild  with  delight,  clapping  his  hands. 

"But  I,  too,  have  conquered,"  said  a 
bitter,  terrible  voice  behind  him,  and  the 
Csesar  felt  an  iron  hand  seize  his  arm  and 
drag  him  into  the  tent. 

Carinus,  startled,  glanced  back  and  saw 
the  gloomy  face  of  Manlius,  who  was 
crushing  his  arm  with  one  hand,  and  in 
the  other  held  a  drawn  sword. 

"What  do  you  want? "  asked  the  Im- 
perator  in  alarm. 

"Do  you  remember,  Carinus,  the  girl 
who  killed  herself  before  your  eyes  to 
escape  your  embrace?  That  girl  was  my 
promised  wife.  Do  you  know  what  I 
want  now  ? " 

"Manlius,  you  are  jesting.  What  do 
you  want  of  me  ?  Why  do  you  terrify  me  ?* 
165 


A   Christian  but  a  Roman. 

"I  could  have  killed  you  often  when, 
overpowered  by  drunkenness,  you  lay  in 
a  sound  sleep,  in  the  intoxication  of  your 
crimes,  but  I  wished  to  await  the  mo- 
ment when  you  were  happy,  when  you 
had  reached  the  summit  of  your  renown, 
before  I  slew  you." 

"Mercy!     Help!" 

"  No  one  can  hear  your  call ;  the  shouts 
of  joy  drown  your  whimpering.  Do  you 
hear  the  cries  of  triumph  and  the  glori- 
fication of  your  name  rising  on  all  sides? 
Do  you  hear  the  universal  cheer:  'Long 
live  Carinus  ? ' — Now,  die,  Carinus !  " 

The  next  moment  another  horseman 
rode  among  the  exulting  troops ;  his  right 
hand  waved  a  lance  from  whose  point 
gazed  down  the  head  of  the  conquering 
Imperator. 

The  victorious  troops  surrendered  to 
Diocletian. 

THE  END. 
166 


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